20weddings

A South American journey

[twentyweddings]

Rio de Janeiro

[[Rio de Janeiro. This bustling, frenetic, but beautiful metropolis has been on my check list for a long time. In fact, our first wedding photoshoot in Chile and visiting “Rio” and seeing the carnival were the only two things we’ve had planned with a specific date in mind, all the rest was “we’ll get there eventually“. Having bought the tickets well in advance, we booked an AirBnB close to the Sambódromo, parked our car safely into secured parking lot inside the building (we had to dismount the rooftop tent and carry it in the elevator, thanks to the 200cm height limit), and headed out to explore the city!///Rio de Janeiro. Esta metrópolis ocupada, frenética, pero hermosa ha estado en mi lista de deseos por mucho tiempo. En realidad, nuestra primera sesión de fotos de bodas en Chile, visitar "Río" y ver el carnaval fueron las dos cosas únicas que hemos planeado con una fecha específica en mente, el resto fue "lo lograremos con el tiempo". Habiendo comprado los boletos para el carnaval con mucha anticipación, reservamos un AirBnB cerca del Sambódromo, estacionamos nuestro auto de manera segura en un estacionamiento seguro dentro del edificio (tuvimos que desmontar la carpa techo y llevarla en el ascensor, gracias al límite de altura de sólo 200 cm) , y salimos a explorar la ciudad!///Rio de Janeiro. Táto rušná, hektická, ale predsa len krásna metropola bola dlho na mojom zozname. V skutočnosti boli naše prvé svadobné fotografie v Čile a návšteva "Ria"+karnevalu jediné dve veci, ktoré sme si naplánovali s konkrétnym dátumom na mysli, všetko ostatné bolo "niekedy tam prídeme". Lístky sme kúpili v dostatočnom časovom predstihu, rezervovali sme si AirBnB v blízkosti Sambódromu, bezpečne zaparkovali naše auto do stráženého parkoviska vnútri budovy (museli sme demontovať strešný stan a odniesť ho vo výťahu a položiť nazad na auto + to isté pri výjazde, všetko vďaka vchodovým dverám garží 200 cm - veľká sranda) , a vyrazili na prehliadku mesta.]]

[[First stop: seeing some… stairs.///Primera parada: viendo unas ... escaleras.///Prvá zastávka: schody.]]

[[Of course, these are not just “some” stairs - they are perhaps one of the most famous in the world. Created by an artist Jorge Selarón, the Escadaria Selarón is a marvelous work of art. Originally from Chile, the humble artist moved to Rio in the 1980s and later started to renovate the staircase outside of his house. (By the way, he was living in the green house on the picture above. Now it’s a hostel, where our friend stayed in the actual room he had lived in.). Little by little, he added more and more pieces of glass, tiles and various other things on these stairs, often running out of money and having to work some more, just so he can continue. At first, he just got the tiles from various places in Rio, but as the staircase gained in popularity, people started sending him tiles from all over the world. Nowadays, there are tiles from more than 60 countries in the world, and while the Lapa neighborhood once was but a poor district, it is now among the most visited and famous places in Rio de Janeiro.///Por supuesto, estas no son solo “algunas” escaleras, pero quizás unas de las más famosas del mundo. Creada por un artista Jorge Selarón, la Escadaria Selarón es una maravillosa obra de arte. Originalmente de Chile, el humilde artista se mudó a Río en las ochentas y más tarde comenzó a renovar las escaleras fuera de su casa. (Por cierto, él estaba viviendo en la casa verde en la imagen de arriba. Ahora es un albergue, donde se se quedó nuestra amiga - en la misma habitación en la que vivía Jorge). Poco a poco, agregó más y más piezas de vidrio, azulejos y varias otras cosas en estas escaleras, a menudo quedándose sin dinero y teniendo que trabajar un poco más, solo para que pudiera continuar. Al principio, solo consiguió las baldosas de varios lugares de Río, pero a medida que la escalera ganó popularidad, la gente comenzó a enviarle fichas de todo el mundo. Hoy en día, hay baldosas de más de 60 países en el mundo, y si bien el vecindario de Lapa no era un distrito pobre, ahora se encuentra entre los lugares más visitados y famosos de Río de Janeiro.///Samozrejme, nie sú to iba nejaké obyčajné schody - sú jedny z najznámejších na svete. Escadaria Selarón je úžasné umelecké dielo, vytvorené umelcom Jorgem Selarónom. Pôvodom z Čile, tento pokorný umelec sa presťahoval do Ria v 80. rokoch minulého storočia a o niečo neskôr začal renovovať schodisko pred jeho domom. (Mimochodom, žil v zelenom dome na obrázku vyššie. Teraz je to hostel, kde bývala naša kamarátka - v tej istej miestnosti, v ktorej pôvodne býval on. #jealous). Postupne pridával stále viac kusov skla, dlaždíc a iných... vecí na tieto schody, aj napriek tomu, že mu často dochádzali peniaze - potom veľa pracoval, len aby mohol pokračovať. Spočiatku zháňal dlaždice z rôznych kútov Ria, ale ako schodisko získavalo na popularite, ľudia mu začali sami posielať dlaždice z celého sveta. V dnešnej dobe sú schody posiate dlaždicami z viac ako 60 krajín sveta a zatiaľ čo táto štvrť s názvom Lapa bola kedysi chudobnou oblasťou, teraz patrí medzi najnavštevovanejšie a najznámejšie miesta v Rio de Janeiro. Všetko vďaka jemu.]]

[[We walked around, ever vigilant of my camera gear and looking for any signs of potential trouble. I got more relaxed later, taking my regular camera instead of the backup one and trying to shoot photos while standing next to police officers for extra security, and not taking it out in sketchy places. Still, I advice some caution - if you don’t have to, keep the cameras out of sight - two girls from the hostel were robbed by a bunch of kid with knives just two streets from here, at 11 AM… But moving on :)///Caminamos por ahí, siempre vigilantes de mi equipo de cámara y buscando cualquier señal de problemas potenciales. Me quedó mas tranquilo más tarde, llevándome mi cámara más cara en lugar de una de la secundaria conmigo y tratando de tomar fotos junto a los oficiales de policía para mayor seguridad, y no sacarlas en lugares sospechosos. Sin embargo, le aconsejo que tome algunas precauciones; si no tiene que hacerlo, mantenga las cámaras fuera de la vista, dos niñas del hostal fueron robadas por un grupo de asolescentes con cuchillos a solo dos calles de aquí, a las 11 de la mañana ... Pero continuamos. :)///Túlali sme sa teda okolitými uličkami, kde som si dával extrémny pozor na svoj foťák a výbavu. Trvalo mi asi deň, než som sa trochu uvoľnil a odvážil si so sebou zobrať svoj hlavný foťák miesto lacného záložného, ale aj tak som si dával pozor a na pochybnejších miestach som sa vždy postavil k policajtom a fotil som stojac pri nich. Napriek tomu odporúčam byť v Riu a hlavne tu v Lape opatrný - ak nemusíte, foťáky a kamery držte mimo dohľadu - dve dievčatá zo spomínaného hostelu boli o deň na to okradnuté bandou tínedžerov s nožmi len dve ulice odtiaľ, o jedenástej ráno ... Ale poďme ďalej v pozitívnejšom duchu. Treba si proste dávať pozor a neukazovať svoje bohatstvo. :)]]

[[The place was pretty much empty in the morning, the carnival hungry people sleeping well into the morning, hungover from the past evening. But it didn’t last long and the place was pretty busy, with loud music, crowds and crowds of people, all in good mood. :)///El lugar estaba prácticamente vacío por la mañana, con toda la gente durmiendo bien hasta la mañana, con resaca de la noche anterior. Pero no duró mucho y el lugar estaba bastante lleno, con música fuerte, multitudes, pero todo de buen humor. :)///Ráno bolo dosť prázdno, karnevalom opojení ľudia dlho vyspávali, pravdepodobne "spoločensky" unavení z minulého večera. Ale netrvalo dlho a zmenilo sa to na nepoznanie - hlasná hudba, davy a davy ľudí, ale všetci v super nálade. :)]]

[[Of course, visiting Rio and not going to the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches would be a sin, so we spent half a day in here. Ipanema wins in my opinion, less crowded and more beautiful. But we’ll return here at the end of the article for the sunset. :)///Por supuesto, visitar Río y no ver las famosas playas de Copacabana e Ipanema sería un pecado, por lo que pasamos medio día aquí. Ipanema gana en mi opinión, menos concurrida y más linda. Pero volveremos aquí al final del artículo para el atardecer. :)///Samozrejme, aká by to bola návšteva Ria bez prechádzky po slávnych plážach Copacabana a Ipanema - strávili sme tu teda pol dňa. Mojim favoritom bola Ipanema, bola menej preplnená a podľa môjho názoru krajšia. Ale sem sa ešte vrátime na konci článku na západ slnka. :)]]

[[If you are wandering around the streets of Rio de Janeiro during the carnival season, you will encounter large groups of people, usually with loud music or a band of some sort, partying on the street. They often wear costumes, dance and slowly move around town, luring people from around (impossible not to see them and hear them) and getting bigger and bigger. These are called “Blocos“, and are organized street parties that people say are the heart of the real Rio de Janeiro carnival. With the blazing weather and loud music, people sure had a great time :)///Si recorras las calles de Río de Janeiro durante la temporada de carnaval, te encuentras con grandes grupos de personas (generalmente con música fuerte o una banda de algún tipo) de fiesta en la calle. A menudo visten disfraces, bailan y se mueven lentamente por la ciudad, atrayendo a la gente de alrededor (es imposible no verles y escucharles) y se hacen más y más grandes. Estos se llaman "Blocos" y son fiestas en la calle organizadas que, según la gente, son el corazón del verdadero carnaval de Río de Janeiro. Con el clima ardiente y la música a todo volumen, la gente se lo pasó muy bien :)///Ak sa počas karnevalovej sezóny prechádzate po uliciach Ria de Janeira, stretnete sa s veľkými skupinami ľudí, zvyčajne doprevádzanými hlasnou hudbou alebo živou kapelu, priamo na ulici. Masy ľudí, často v rôznych kostýmoch, tancujúc a pomaly sa presúvajúc po meste, lákajú ľudí z okolia (nemožno ich nevidieť a hlavne prepočuť) a postupne sa zväčšujú. Tieto skupiny sa nazývajú bloky ("Blocos") a sú organizované stretnutia ľudí/kapiel/tanečníkov/hocikoho, ktoré sú podľa mnohých srdcom skutočného karnevalu v Riu. Ľudia sa skutočne dobre zabávali, vonku bolo teplo a nádherné počasie a duch karnevalu bol takmer hmatateľný. :)]]

[[Finally, the carnaval was here. The carnival usually runs for a week, but the "best”" (usually winners of previous years) groups are concentrated in one day, so we went for that one. Each year, various Samba schools will pick a theme and create this huge parade, often consisting of hundreds if not thousands of dancers, hoping the judges will pick their samba school as the winner :) We didn’t really know what to expect, so we found ourselves a place with a nice view (standing next to the rails) and watched.///Finalmente, el carnaval llegó. El carnaval por lo general dura una semana, pero los "mejores" grupos (generalmente ganadores de años anteriores) se concentran en un día, así que decidimos hacerlo. Cada año, varias escuelas de samba eligen un tema y crean este gran desfile, que a menudo consiste en cientos, si no miles de bailarines, con la esperanza de que los jueces escojan a su escuela de samba como el ganador :) Realmente no sabíamos qué esperar, así que encontramos un lugar con una linda vista (parados junto a los rieles) y esperamos.///Konečne teda prišiel aj vytúžený karneval. Karneval trvá zvyčajne týždeň, ale "najlepšie" skupiny (zvyčajne víťazi z predchádzajúcich ročníkov) sú sústredení do jedného dňa, tak sme si samozrejme zohnali lístky práve na ten deň. Každý rok si Samba školy vyberú jednu tému a vytvoria túto obrovskú show, často pozostávajúcu zo stoviek až tisícok tanečníkov, dúfajúc, že ​​sudcovia si vybrali práve tú ich školu ako víťaza :) Nevedeli sme, čo očakávať, takže sme si našli miesto s pekným výhľadom (stáli sme hneď pred zábradlím) a sledovali sme, čo sa bude diať.]]

[[The Sambadrome is 700 meters long, and can fit 90 000 people. To say it was crowded would be understatement, coming from a city of around 500 000. It’s recommended to take a spot close to the judges, as the performers are trying to impress them, and after dancing continously (it can take an hour) for 700 meters, they might be a bit more tired in the end of the sambadrome.///El Sambódromo tiene 700 metros de largo y puede acomodar a unas 90 000 personas. Decir que estaba lleno sería una subestimación, proveniente de una ciudad de +- 500 mil habitantes. Se recomienda tomar un lugar cerca de los jueces, ya que los intérpretes intentan impresionarlos, y después de bailar continuamente (puede tomar una hora) para 700 metros, podrían estar un poco más cansados ​​al final del sambódromo.///Sambadróm je dlhý 700 metrov a zmestí sa sem až 90 000 ľudí. Tvrdiť že tam bolo plno je slábé slovo, keďže tu bola tak jedna pätina našeho hlavného mesta. Pri kupovaní lístkov sa odporúča vyberať miesto blízko poroty, keďže sa jednotlivé školy snažia najviac predvádzať práve pred nimi. Keďže po nich pokračujú v tanci ešte 700 metrov (môže to trvať aj cez hodinu), na konci už môžu byť unavení.]]

[[What really strikes you is the creativity and the colours. They are bright, vivid, all shapes and form at one place. Sensory overload for sure.///Lo que realmente te impresiona es la creatividad y los colores. Son brillantes, vívidos, todas las formas y formas en un solo lugar. La sobrecarga sensorial seguro.///To, čo ma naozaj uchvátilo, je neuveriteľná kreativita a množstvo farieb. Sýte a pestrofarebné "veci" mnohých tvarov na jednom mieste. Preťaženie všetkých zmyslov.]]

[[The carnaval is famous for samba dancers, but perhaps even more for the stars of the show - the allegorical floats. These ginormous vehicles (they are vehicles underneath) are build and stored by the samba schools for months at a dedicated venue as big as 10 football fields. The creativity is endless here - from obvious Cristo Redentor, Poseidon to Giant Whale with people inside and… something. See for yourself.///El carnaval es famoso por los bailarines de samba, pero quizás aún más por las estrellas del espectáculo: las carrozas alegóricas. Estos enormes vehículos (que realmente son vehículos debajo) son construidos y almacenados por las escuelas de samba durante meses en un lugar dedicado tan grande como 10 campos de fútbol. La creatividad es infinita aquí, desde el obvio Cristo Redentor, Poseidón hasta la ballena gigante con personas dentro y ... algo. Ver por ti mismo.///Karneval je známy hlavne samba tanečníkmi a tanečnicami, ale možno ešte viac vďaka alegorickým vozom. Tieto obrovské vozidlá (pod nimi sa naozaj schovávajú vozidlá) sú postavené a skladované samba školami počas niekoľkých mesiacov na špecializovanom mieste, ktoré je veľké ako je 10 futbalových ihrísk. Kreativite je tu zdanlivo nekonečná - od klasického Krista, cez Poseidona až po obrovskú veľrybu s ľuďmi vnútri a ... niečím. Presvedčte sa sami.]]

[[Each of 6 schools go on for roughly hour and half to two hours, so it’s safe to say you are half deaf/dead at 4AM from listening to Cidade Maravillosa for 8 hours straight. Bring some food, buy some water and have a great time if you go. Despite some people saying it is not the “real carnaval“ and that the real one is in the streets, I disagree. It is commercial, yes, but well worth it. :)///Cada una de las 6 escuelas dura aproximadamente 1.5-2 horas, por lo que es seguro decir que estás medio sordo / muerto a las 4 de la mañana después de escuchar a Cidade Maravillosa durante 8 horas seguidas. Traiga algo de comida, compre un poco de agua y páselo bien si va. A pesar de que algunas personas dicen que no es el "verdadero carnaval" y que el verdadero está en las calles, no estoy de acuerdo. Es comercial, sí, pero vale la pena. :)///Každá zo šiestich škôl trvá zhruba hodinu a pol až dve hodiny, takže sa pripravte na počúvanie Cidade Maravillosa celé hodiny, bolesť nôh ak si nenájdete miesto na sedenie ale napriek tomu kopec zábavy. Prineste si nejaké jedlo a kúpte si vodu. Osobne s názorom niektorých ľudí, že to nie je "skutočný karneval" a ten skutočný je v uliciach Ria, nesúhlasím. Áno, je to komerčné, drahé a medzi samotných tanečníkov sa môžete dostať tak, že si to zaplatíte a oni vám dajú kostým. Aj tak je to ale pastva na oči a rozhodne to stojí to za to. :)]]

[[Warning: actual useful information following. If you want to visit Rio for the carnival and some sightseeing, I have a top tip for you - arrive a few days before the carnival, or stay for a few days after it. Thing is, because of tens or hundreds of thousands of (slightly) drunk people partying on the streets, almost all of the cultural venues or places to go are closed, some of them even barricade the doors (we’ve seen church doors barricaded) to protect themselves. Because our time was actually limited in Rio, we went to see the places that were open - like the famous Christ statue.///Advertencia: información útil actual siguiente. Si desea visitar Río para el carnaval y hacer turismo, tengo un consejo para usted: llegue unos días antes del carnaval o quédese unos días después. La cosa es que debido a las decenas o cientos de miles de personas (un poquito) borrachas que se van de fiesta en las calles, casi todos los lugares culturales o otros lugares para visitar están cerrados, algunos de ellos incluso bloquean las puertas (hemos visto las puertas de las iglesias bloqueadas) para protegerse. Debido a que nuestro tiempo era realmente limitado en Río, fuimos a ver los lugares que estaban abiertos, como la famosa estatua de Cristo.///Upozornenie: nasledujú výnimočne aj užitočné informácie :) Ak chcete navštíviť Rio a vidieť okrem karnevalu aj samotné mesto a jeho iné atrakcie, mám pre vás tip - príďte aspoň pár dní pred karnevalom alebo ostante niekoľko dní po ňom. Kvôli desiatkam alebo stovkám tisícok (mierne) opitých ľudí, ktorí žúrujú na uliciach, sú takmer všetky kultúrne pamiatky, múzeá a dokonca aj kostoly zatvorené, niektoré dokonca zabarikádujú dvere (videli sme takto zadebnené dvere do kostola v centre) aby sa ochránili pred davmi podgurážených alebo inak veselých turistov. Pretože náš čas v Riu bol obmedzený, šli sme sa pozrieť aspoň na miesta, ktoré boli sprístupnené - ako slávna socha Krista.]]

[[Beautiful magnificent statue on the hill… Well, almost. It really is uncomfortably crowded there, up to the point there’s no way of enjoying it at all. When this happens anywhere, I always turn the camera the other way and take photos of people - it’s usually more fun than the actual place. :) Weirdly enough, while the statue looks magnificent and you can see it from most parts of the city, up there it looked kind of… small? I don’t know, it is not small, but you expect it to be bigger. I talked with some people and I am not alone with this feeling.///Hermosa magnífica estatua en la colina ... Bueno, casi. Realmente está demasiado abarrotado allí, hasta el punto de que no hay forma de disfrutarlo. Cuando esto sucede en cualquier lugar, siempre giro la cámara hacia el otro lado y tomo fotos de las personas - es que generalmente es más divertido que el lugar. :) Por extraño que parezca, mientras que la estatua se ve magnífica y se puede ver desde la mayoría de las partes de la ciudad, allí arriba parecía como ... ¿ un poco pequeño? No lo sé, seguro que no es pequeño, pero esperas que sea más grande. Hablé con algunas personas y no estoy solo con este sentimiento.///Nádherná, ohromná socha na kopci... No dobre, takmer. Miesto naozaj trpí svojou popularitou a je to tu naozaj nepríjemne preplnené, až do toľkej miery, že je ťažké si to miesto užiť. Osobne v týchto situáciach robím skoro vždy to isté - obraciam fotoaparát na opačnú stranu a fotím samotných ľudí - je to zvyčajne zábavnejšie ako samotné miesto. :) Mierne ma ale zarazila jedna vec - zatiaľ čo socha vyzerá skutočne majestátne a môžete ju vidieť z veľkej častí mesta, tu hore vám pripadá akási... malá? Ťažko sa to popisuje, malá samozrejme nie je, ale v duchu proste očakávate, že bude väčšia. Bavil som s viacerými ľuďmi a nie som sám s rovnakým pocitom.]]

[[People watching, go!///Observando la gente.///Ľudia. Viac zábavy sledovať ich ako samotné miesto.]]

[[Having amused myself enough with watching people pretending to be airplanes / christ statues, we took a few pictures of the undoubtedly beautiful views and headed back down.///Después de haberme entretenido lo suficiente con observar a las personas haciéndose pasar por aeroplanos / estatuas de Cristo, tomamos algunas fotos de las hermosas vistas sin duda y empezamos la bajada.///Keď som sa dostatočne vyžil pozorovaním ľudí, ktorí predstierali, že sú lietadlami / sochami krista, urobili sme pár fotiek s krásnymi pohľadmi na Rio a išli sme nazad dole.]]

[[After the busy Cristo redentor, it’s nice to go down the Cordovado hill and cool down a bit in the beautiful, UNESCO protected botanical garden nearby. Walking the beautiful Avenue of Royal palms, and just relaxing in the garden, enjoying the 6,000+ different species of tropical and subtropical plants and trees . Me gusta.///Después de la concurrida redentor de Cristo, es agradable bajar la colina de Cordovado y refrescarse un poco en el hermoso jardín botánico protegido por la UNESCO que se encuentra cerca. Caminando por la hermosa Avenida de las palmas reales, y simplemente descansando en el jardín, disfrutando de las más de 6,000 especies diferentes de plantas y árboles tropicales y subtropicales. Me gusta.///Po preplnenej soche krista bolo naozaj príjemné zísť z kopca Cordovado a trochu sa ochladiť v krásnej botanickej záhrade, zapísanej aj v UNESCO. Prechádzka palmovou alejou, relax v záhradách, užívanie si ticha a viac než 6000 druhov tropických a subtropických rastlín a stromov. Nádhera.]]

[[Not far from here (actually even closer to the ever-watching Christ the Redeemer), is the Parque Lage, with this instagrammable mansion in the centre. I have to say, it was stunningly beautiful///No muy lejos de aquí (en realidad, aún más cerca del Cristo Redentor siempre visto), está el Parque Lage, con esta mansión muy "instagramable" en el centro. Tengo que decir que era hermoso de verdad.///Neďaleko odtiaľ (v skutočnosti ešte bližšie k stále viditeľnej soche Krista), je park "Parque Lage", s touto instagram-pozitívnou budovou v jeho strede. Je to tu naozaj prekrásne a oplatí sa urobiť si zachádzku.]]

[[And for the sunset, there’s nowhere nicer to be than on one of the Rio’s beaches. The vibe is great, they look amazing, water is warm and you can’t help but feel happy here. Here, on the famous Ipanema beach, crowds of onlookers will gather each evening on the rocks before the end of day and watch the sun slowly set. It was one of the most magical moments, and despite having travelled so many other places, I know that we will be back one day. Probably for the new years eve :)///Y para el atardecer, no hay ningún lugar mejor que en una de las playas de Río. El ambiente es genial, las playas son increíbles, el agua es cálida y no puedes evitar sentirte feliz. Aquí, en la famosa playa de Ipanema, multitudes de espectadores se reunen cada noche en las rocas antes del atardecer y observan cómo baja lentamente el sol. Fue uno de los momentos más mágicos durante ese viaje - a pesar de haber viajado a muchos otros lugares, sé que volveremos algún día. Probablemente para pasar el año nuevo :)///Nuž a na západ slnka, niet lepšieho miesta ako niektorej z pláží v Riu. Atmosféra je tu skvelá, vyzerajú skutočne úžasne, voda je príjemne teplá a proste sa na nich cítite akosi štastne. Tu na slávnej pláži Ipanema sa zhromaždia každý večer pred západom slnka masy ľudí a spoločne na skalách sledujú ako slnko pomaly mizne za obzor. Bol to jeden z najkrajších okamihov tejto cesty a napriek tomu, že sme precestovali mnohé miesta s určitosťou viem povedať, že sa sem jedného dňa vrátime. Pravdepodobne na oslavu nového roka. :)]]

Muito obrigado, Rio de Janeiro.

[twentyweddings]

Buenos Aires - part 2

[[Continuing with previous post about Buenos Aires  - One of the most popular places to visit in Buenos Aires is "La Recoleta", the famous cemetery of important and rich people, including Eva Peron (Evita), whose tomb is a major tourist attraction... First I wasn't sure why, maybe because she was a wife of a president, came from a poor family, worked her way up, founded her own charity organization, supported women´s right to vote...  Ok, It's easy to see why :) Nevertheless we decided to walk around the cemetery and try to locate her tomb.//Continuing with previous post about Buenos Aires  - One of the most popular places to visit in Buenos Aires is "La Recoleta", the famous cemetery of important and rich people, including Eva Peron (Evita), whose tomb is a major tourist attraction... First I wasn't sure why, maybe because she was a wife of a president, came from a poor family, worked her way up, founded her own charity organization, supported women´s right to vote...  Ok, It's easy to see why :) Nevertheless we decided to walk around the cemetery and try to locate her tomb.//Continuing with previous post about Buenos Aires  - One of the most popular places to visit in Buenos Aires is "La Recoleta", the famous cemetery of important and rich people, including Eva Peron (Evita), whose tomb is a major tourist attraction... First I wasn't sure why, maybe because she was a wife of a president, came from a poor family, worked her way up, founded her own charity organization, supported women´s right to vote...  Ok, It's easy to see why :) Nevertheless we decided to walk around the cemetery and try to locate her tomb.//Pokračovanie predchádzajúceho článku o Buenos Aires - v nasledujúcich dňoch sme sa poprechádzali po známom cintoríne "La Recoleta", kde sú pochovaní slávni a bohatí ľudia, vrátane Evy Perón (Evita), za ktorou sa všetci hnali. Najprv som si nebola istá prečo, možno kvôli tomu, že bola manželkou prezidenta, pochádzala z chudobnej rodiny, sama sa vypracovala, založila vlastnú charitatívnu organizáciu, podporovala hnutie za právo žien voliť... hmmm, vlastne uz asi chápem prečo. V každom ohľade, my sme sa najprv poprechádzali a potúlali okolím a až na záver sme sa rozhodli zistit, kam sa tam všetci ženú.]]

[[But La Recoleta is not only about the famous cemetery - you'll find many interesting things to see in this barrio. For example, this is a law falculty that caught my eye just a few minutes after we left the cemetery.///But La Recoleta is not only about the famous cemetery - you'll find many interesting things to see in this barrio. For example, this is a law falculty that caught my eye just a few minutes after we left the cemetery.///But La Recoleta is not only about the famous cemetery - you'll find many interesting things to see in this barrio. For example, this is a law falculty that caught my eye just a few minutes after we left the cemetery.///V časti "La Recoleta" nenájdete len slávny cintorín, ale iné zaujímavé miesta. Mňa hneď na úvod upútala právnická fakulta so zaujímavou architektúrou.]]

[[Another thing that caught us by surprise was Floralis Genérica - a modern steel & aluminium sculpture. It looks quite majestic on its own - and then you learn that the whole sculpture moves! It opens its petals in the morning, follows the sun and closes them in the evening #socool. It was a donation from Argentinian architect Eduardo Catalano - he once said, that it's a synthesis of all the flowers and symbolizes the hope of being reborn every day when it opens. It's located at the "United Nations" square - Plaza de las Naciones Unidas.///Another thing that caught us by surprise was Floralis Genérica - a modern steel & aluminium sculpture. It looks quite majestic on its own - and then you learn that the whole sculpture moves! It opens its petals in the morning, follows the sun and closes them in the evening #socool. It was a donation from Argentinian architect Eduardo Catalano - he once said, that it's a synthesis of all the flowers and symbolizes the hope of being reborn every day when it opens. It's located at the "United Nations" square - Plaza de las Naciones Unidas.///Another thing that caught us by surprise was Floralis Genérica - a modern steel & aluminium sculpture. It looks quite majestic on its own - and then you learn that the whole sculpture moves! It opens its petals in the morning, follows the sun and closes them in the evening #socool. It was a donation from Argentinian architect Eduardo Catalano - he once said, that it's a synthesis of all the flowers and symbolizes the hope of being reborn every day when it opens. It's located at the "United Nations" square - Plaza de las Naciones Unidas.///V neďalekom parku nás prekvapila "Floralis Genérica", moderná socha kvetiny, ktorá sa počas dňa otáčala za slnkom a postupne otvárala a zatvárala lupienky ako iné kvetinky. Venoval ju mestu argentínsky architekt Eduardo Catalano, ktorý raz povedal, že je syntézou všetkých kvetov a zároveň predstavuje nádej v znovuzrodenie každý deň pri otvorení. Nachádza sa na "Námestí Spojených Národov" (Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, Avenida Figueroa Alcorta).]]

[[The evening was coming, so we headed to the beautiful botanic garden with a rose garden in it. It looked more like a huge park than a botanic garden :) It is a very popular spot for relaxing, sports & activities and... cats.///The evening was coming, so we headed to the beautiful botanic garden with a rose garden in it. It looked more like a huge park than a botanic garden :) It is a very popular spot for relaxing, sports & activities and... cats.///The evening was coming, so we headed to the beautiful botanic garden with a rose garden in it. It looked more like a huge park than a botanic garden :) It is a very popular spot for relaxing, sports & activities and... cats.///Prešli sme sa aj krásnou botanickou záhradou s ružovou záhradou, ktorá sa viac podobala na veľký park. Je obľúbeným miestom na oddych, šport a... mačky.]]

[[Buenos Aires is directly on the border with Uruguay, so after a few thousand kilometres, it's time for us to say goodbye to Argentina. Well, for now - so far we've covered the more popular, southern part - two months later, we came back and explored the famous Ruta 40, driving through central & northern Argentina. But that will come later :)///Buenos Aires is directly on the border with Uruguay, so after a few thousand kilometres, it's time for us to say goodbye to Argentina. Well, for now - so far we've covered the more popular, southern part - two months later, we came back and explored the famous Ruta 40, driving through central & northern Argentina. But that will come later :)///Buenos Aires is directly on the border with Uruguay, so after a few thousand kilometres, it's time for us to say goodbye to Argentina. Well, for now - so far we've covered the more popular, southern part - two months later, we came back and explored the famous Ruta 40, driving through central & northern Argentina. But that will come later :)///Buenos Aires leží na hranici s Uruguajom, takže po niekoľko tisíc kilometroch sa lúčime s Argentínou a pokračujeme ďalej. Dolná polovica Argentíny - check. Vrátime sa sem ešte o dva mesiace a prejdeme si menej navštevovanú časť - zo stredu na sever slávnou cestou Ruta 40.]] 

[[Next stop: Uruguay :)//Next stop: Uruguay :)//Next stop: Uruguay :)//Ďalšia zastávka: Uruguaj. :)]]

[twentyweddings]

Buenos Aires

[[Writing about Buenos Aires has been quite difficult for me. Why? You'll learn that soon enough :)///Writing about Buenos Aires has been quite difficult for me. Why? You'll learn that soon enough :)///Writing about Buenos Aires has been quite difficult for me. Why? You'll learn that soon enough :)///O Buenos Aires sa mi píše zatiaľ najťažšie. Prečo? Zistíte  o chvíľu sami. :)]][[We spent a whole week here, living with a family of our friend Matias from Couchsurfing, that we hosted before in Slovakia, so we had the perfect opportunity to truly experience the real life in the Argentinian capital. This incredible 15+ million metropolis is so diverse and big, that we spent everyday walking in a different district, all of them significantly different from each other. For hours and hours we walked around with a map in our hands, sometimes just wandering around; many times I was telling Ivan to take a picture of this or that building for me. You know, it's not that South America wouldn't have it's own beautiful architecture, but it was nice walking around this "Paris of South America" :) It's almost impossible not to fall in love with this city./// We spent a whole week here, living with a family of our friend Matias from Couchsurfing, that we hosted before in Slovakia, so we had the perfect opportunity to truly experience the real life in the Argentinian capital. This incredible 15+ million metropolis is so diverse and big, that we spent everyday walking in a different district, all of them significantly different from each other. For hours and hours we walked around with a map in our hands, sometimes just wandering around; many times I was telling Ivan to take a picture of this or that building for me. You know, it's not that South America wouldn't have it's own beautiful architecture, but it was nice walking around this "Paris of South America" :) It's almost impossible not to fall in love with this city./// We spent a whole week here, living with a family of our friend Matias from Couchsurfing, that we hosted before in Slovakia, so we had the perfect opportunity to truly experience the real life in the Argentinian capital. This incredible 15+ million metropolis is so diverse and big, that we spent everyday walking in a different district, all of them significantly different from each other. For hours and hours we walked around with a map in our hands, sometimes just wandering around; many times I was telling Ivan to take a picture of this or that building for me. You know, it's not that South America wouldn't have it's own beautiful architecture, but it was nice walking around this "Paris of South America" :) It's almost impossible not to fall in love with this city./// Strávili sme tu týždeň u rodiny nášho couchsurfera Matiasa, ktorého sme spoznali ešte doma pred cestou, a mali sme tak perfektnú šancu pochopiť argentínsku kultúru a ich spôsob života. Každý deň sme boli v inej časti mesta, ktorá bola niečim výnimočná a fascinujúca. Dlhé hodiny sme sa prechádzali sem a tam, s mapu v ruke, niekedy len tak, a častokrát som nútila Ivana odfotiť nejakú budovu, ktorá ma nadchla svojou architektúrou. Viete, niežeby Južná Amerika nebola krásna ale predsa len človeka poteší poprechádzať sa juhoamerickým Parížom. Bolo takmer nemožné si toto mesto nezamilovať.]]

[[The first day, Klaudia (Matias's mom) with her children were incredibly kind and guided us through the historic "La Boca" part of town, located just next to old port. It was built by Italian immigrants and the main attraction is the beautiful colourful pedestrian zone zone, full of different artists and handicrafts.///The first day, Klaudia (Matias's mom) with her children were incredibly kind and guided us through the historic "La Boca" part of town, located just next to old port. It was built by Italian immigrants and the main attraction is the beautiful colourful pedestrian zone zone, full of different artists and handicrafts.///The first day, Klaudia (Matias's mom) with her children were incredibly kind and guided us through the historic "La Boca" part of town, located just next to old port. It was built by Italian immigrants and the main attraction is the beautiful colourful pedestrian zone zone, full of different artists and handicrafts.///Prvý deň sa nám veľmi ochotne povenovala Klaudia s deťmi a previedla nás historickou časťou "La Boca", ktorá sa nachádza pri starom prístave. Bola postavená talianskymi imigrantami a jej hlavnou atrakciou je pestrofarebná pešia zóna plná umelcov.]]

San Telmo

[[After La Boca, we moved to San Telmo, the part of Buenos Aires famous for it's tango. You'll find people or shows at many places - performances directly on the street, or as shows in many coffee shops and restaurants. We stayed and watched for a while at the "Plaza Dorrego" square. Right next to it, there's also a famous flea market.///After La Boca, we moved to San Telmo, the part of Buenos Aires famous for it's tango. You'll find people or shows at many places - performances directly on the street, or as shows in many coffee shops and restaurants. We stayed and watched for a while at the "Plaza Dorrego" square. Right next to it, there's also a famous flea market.///After La Boca, we moved to San Telmo, the part of Buenos Aires famous for it's tango. You'll find people or shows at many places - performances directly on the street, or as shows in many coffee shops and restaurants. We stayed and watched for a while at the "Plaza Dorrego" square. Right next to it, there's also a famous flea market.///Po časti La Boca sme sa presunuli do San Telma, štvrťou preslávenou tangom. Nájdete tu viacero miest, kde tanečníci predvádzajú tango, či už na ulici alebo ako súčasť programu v mnohých kaviarniach a reštauráciách. My sme sa zastavili nahliadnuť na námestí "Plaza Dorrego". Hneď vedľa sa nachádza aj blší trh s rôznymi starožitnosťami.]]

[["The Comic Tour" (Paseo de la Historieta) was created in 2012, after the first statue - "Mafalda" - became a huge success. Mafalda is a comic strip about a small girl, that is concerned with the reality and situation in the world, and is rebelling against the world of the adults, but in an innocent manner. After Mafalda, they added 9 additional statues as a homage to the local humorists. I was quite interested by "Isidoro Cañones" - local playboy from a good family, rich and irresponsible, happy and with tons of charisma. He loves the night life, living in the moment and travelling. No wonder I liked him :)///"The Comic Tour" (Paseo de la Historieta) was created in 2012, after the first statue - "Mafalda" - became a huge success. Mafalda is a comic strip about a small girl, that is concerned with the reality and situation in the world, and is rebelling against the world of the adults, but in an innocent manner. After Mafalda, they added 9 additional statues as a homage to the local humorists. I was quite interested by "Isidoro Cañones" - local playboy from a good family, rich and irresponsible, happy and with tons of charisma. He loves the night life, living in the moment and travelling. No wonder I liked him :)///"The Comic Tour" (Paseo de la Historieta) was created in 2012, after the first statue - "Mafalda" - became a huge success. Mafalda is a comic strip about a small girl, that is concerned with the reality and situation in the world, and is rebelling against the world of the adults, but in an innocent manner. After Mafalda, they added 9 additional statues as a homage to the local humorists. I was quite interested by "Isidoro Cañones" - local playboy from a good family, rich and irresponsible, happy and with tons of charisma. He loves the night life, living in the moment and travelling. No wonder I liked him :)///"Paseo de la Historieta" (Promenáda komiksových príbehov) vznikla v roku 2012 po veľkom úspechu prvej sochy - "Mafaldy" (komiks o malom dievčatku, ktoré je znepokojené situáciou vo svete a vzdoruje svetu dospelých). Následne pridali 9 ďalších sôch, ktoré vzdávajú poctu lokálnym humoristom a sprevádzajú ľudí rôznymi argentínskymi komiksovými postavami. Mňa zaujal "Isidoro Cañones", lokálny playboy - bohatý a nezodpovedný, z dobrej rodiny, veselý a neuveriteľne charizmatický. Miluje nočný život, žiť v danom okamihu a cestovať. Niet divu, že som mu na prvý pohľad podľahla.]]

[["Don Fulgencio" is the inner child, that is hidden in every adult. He represents the old good-natured man, innocent one, that is refusing to grow up; or alternatively a man, that never had a childhood, because he was always chasing his career.///"Don Fulgencio" is the inner child, that is hidden in every adult. He represents the old good-natured man, innocent one, that is refusing to grow up; or alternatively a man, that never had a childhood, because he was always chasing his career.///"Don Fulgencio" is the inner child, that is hidden in every adult. He represents the old good-natured man, innocent one, that is refusing to grow up; or alternatively a man, that never had a childhood, because he was always chasing his career.///"Don Fulgencio" predstavuje vnútorné dieťa, ktoré sa skrýva v každom dospelákovi. Reprezentuje starého dobráka, nevinného, ktorý odmieta vyrásť, alebo tiež muža, ktorý nikdy nemal detstvo, pretože sa vždy hnal za kariérou.]]

[[The last one, "Chicas de Divito", showing the stereotype women and fashion of 50s and 60s in Argentina. Sensual, curvy with a thin waist. Beautiful :)///The last one, "Chicas de Divito", showing the stereotype women and fashion of 50s and 60s in Argentina. Sensual, curvy with a thin waist. Beautiful :)///The last one, "Chicas de Divito", showing the stereotype women and fashion of 50s and 60s in Argentina. Sensual, curvy with a thin waist. Beautiful :)///A ako posledné "Chicas de Divito" zobrazujúce stereotyp žien a módy z 50. a 60. rokov v Argentíne. Zmyselné, s plnými krivkami, tenučkým pásom a prekrásne.]]

[[After walking around San Telmo, we continud to the heart of the city, which is also called "microcentro". This is where the majority of historical buildings are.///After walking around San Telmo, we continud to the heart of the city, which is also called "microcentro". This is where the majority of historical buildings are.///After walking around San Telmo, we continud to the heart of the city, which is also called "microcentro". This is where the majority of historical buildings are.///Po San Telme sme sa prešli do centra mesta, ktoré je označované ako "microcentro", kde sa nachádza väčšina historických budov. ]]

[[El Ateneo - a bookshop made in an old theater from 1919. The Guardian placed it as the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. We absolutely loved it.///El Ateneo - a bookshop made in an old theater from 1919. The Guardian placed it as the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. We absolutely loved it.///El Ateneo - a bookshop made in an old theater from 1919. The Guardian placed it as the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. We absolutely loved it.///El Ateneo - kníhkupectvo v priestoroch starého divadla, nám jednoznačne učarovalo. Britský The Guardian ho označil ako druhé najkrajšie kníhkupectvo na svete.]]

[[We had a quick look inside the shopping mall "Galerías Pacífico", known by a beautiful fresque.///We had a quick look inside the shopping mall "Galerías Pacífico", known by a beautiful fresque.///We had a quick look inside the shopping mall "Galerías Pacífico", known by a beautiful fresque.///Nakukli sme aj do nákupného centra "Galerías Pacífico" známeho krásnou freskou.]]

[[One day, we couldn't resist and went to see the oldest coffeehouse in the city, "Café Tortoni", that was a favourite of many artists, including Jorge Luis Borges, Luigi Pirandello, Federico García Lorca aj Julio Cortázar. You can go and see tango show in the evening here, too :)///One day, we couldn't resist and went to see the oldest coffeehouse in the city, "Café Tortoni", that was a favourite of many artists, including Jorge Luis Borges, Luigi Pirandello, Federico García Lorca aj Julio Cortázar. You can go and see tango show in the evening here, too :)///One day, we couldn't resist and went to see the oldest coffeehouse in the city, "Café Tortoni", that was a favourite of many artists, including Jorge Luis Borges, Luigi Pirandello, Federico García Lorca aj Julio Cortázar. You can go and see tango show in the evening here, too :)///Jedného dňa sme neodolali a navštívili sme najstaršiu kaviareň v meste - "Café Tortoni", ktorú obľubovali viacerí umelci, vrátane spisovateľov Jorge Luis Borges, Luigi Pirandello, Federico García Lorca aj Julio Cortázar. Večer tu bývajú aj predstavenia tanga.]]

[[During our endless walks around the city, I fell in love with "Palacio Español" - it's roof mosaic reminded me of Alfons Mucha. I have yet to find out who was the author.///During our endless walks around the city, I fell in love with "Palacio Español" - it's roof mosaic reminded me of Alfons Mucha. I have yet to find out who was the author.///During our endless walks around the city, I fell in love with "Palacio Español" - it's roof mosaic reminded me of Alfons Mucha. I have yet to find out who was the author.///Popri nekonečnom prechádzaní sa mestom mi učaroval "Palacio Español" (Španielsky palác), ktorého stropná mozaika mi pripomenula Alfonsa Muchu. Zatiaľ som sa nedopátrala, kto bol naozaj autorom.]]

[[The first evening in Buenos Aires, we went for a walk to the river and enjoyed the sunset with a view on the modern financial district and the "Woman's bridge" ("Puente de la Mujer").///The first evening in Buenos Aires, we went for a walk to the river and enjoyed the sunset with a view on the modern financial district and the "Woman's bridge" ("Puente de la Mujer").///The first evening in Buenos Aires, we went for a walk to the river and enjoyed the sunset with a view on the modern financial district and the "Woman's bridge" ("Puente de la Mujer").///V prvý večer sme sa prešli k rieke a vychutnali si západ slnka s výhľadom na modernú finančnú štvrť a most "Puente da la Mujer" (Most Ženy).]]

[[If you think this is all from Buenos Aires, you're wrong - there's one more article on the way :) We still have to see the famous La Recoleta cemetery, incredible parks and many other interesting places. Hope to see you soon, my friends :)///If you think this is all from Buenos Aires, you're wrong - there's one more article on the way :) We still have to see the famous La Recoleta cemetery, incredible parks and many other interesting places. Hope to see you soon, my friends :)///If you think this is all from Buenos Aires, you're wrong - there's one more article on the way :) We still have to see the famous La Recoleta cemetery, incredible parks and many other interesting places. Hope to see you soon, my friends :)///Báli ste sa, že je to všetko z Buenos Aires? Ale kdeže, ešte máme jeden pripravený, veď sme ešte nevideli preslávený cintorín La Recoleta, prekrásne parky a kopu ďalších zaujímavých miest. Dúfam, že sa vidíme opäť čoskoro, priatelia. :) (Ivanova poznámka - ak nebudeme leniví prekladať články, tak áno :) )]]

[twentyweddings]

10th Wedding - Medellín, Colombia

Vane & Beto

[[Our 10th and the last wedding in South America took a place in a beautiful restaurant Chuscalito (www.chuscalito.com) in Medellín, Colombia. The restaurant is set up on a hill overlooking the city and has more than 35 years of tradition, originally serving as a garden selling different plants. Thanks to that background, the restaurant is now basically set up in the middle of beautiful garden, surrounded by many different plants and greenery. The gorgeous decoration was done by Julia ([email protected]), who completed the romantic feel of the restaurant with white and pink colours and vintage accessories. The candy bar was full of local goodies like merengue (baked beaten egg whites), tamarindo (sweet and sour dessert prepared from tamarind fruit, which tastes a lot like prunes), "cocadas blancas" (white coconut balls) and many different caramels, including coffee ones. Awesome :)///Nuestra décima y última boda en América del Sur tuvo lugar en Chuscalito (www.chuscalito.com) - un restaurante maravilloso en Medellín, Colombia. El restaurante está situado en una colina con vista bonita de la ciudad. Tiene más de 35 años de tradición, originalmente fue un jardín que vendió plantas diferentes. Gracias a sus raíces, ahora está básicamente situado en medio de un jardín hermoso, rodeado con muchas plantas. La decoración magnífica fue realizada por Julia ([email protected]) que completó la sensación romántica del restaurante con colores blancos y rosados y accesorios "vintage". El "rincón dulce" fue lleno de dulces típicos como merengue, tamarindo, cocadas blancas o caramelos deliciosos. Que chévere :)///Our 10th and the last wedding in South America took a place in a beautiful restaurant Chuscalito (www.chuscalito.com) in Medellín, Colombia. The restaurant is set up on a hill overlooking the city and has more than 35 years of tradition, originally serving as a garden selling different plants. Thanks to that background, the restaurant is now basically set up in the middle of beautiful garden, surrounded by many different plants and greenery. The gorgeous decoration was done by Julia ([email protected]), who completed the romantic feel of the restaurant with white and pink colours and vintage accessories. The candy bar was full of local goodies like merengue (baked beaten egg whites), tamarindo (sweet and sour dessert prepared from tamarind fruit, which tastes a lot like prunes), "cocadas blancas" (white coconut balls) and many different caramels, including coffee ones. Awesome :)///Naša 10. a zároveň posledná svadba v Južnej Amerike sa odohrala 25. februára v krásnych priestoroch reštaurácie Chuscalito (www.chuscalito.com) v Medellíne, Kolumbií. Reštaurácia má viac ako 35 ročnú históriu a pôvodne slúžila ako záhrada a predajňa kvetín. Vďala svojmu pôvodu má teraz reštaurácia nádherné priestory obklopené zeleňou a roznymi kvetinami. O nádhernú výzdobu sa postarala Julia ([email protected]), ktorá doplnila romantický štýl priestorov bieloružovými farbami a vintage doplnkami. Kútik so sladkosťami bol plný lokálnych dobrôtok vrátane anízového merengue (vyšľahané zapečené bielka), tamarindo (sladkokyslý dezert pripravený z plodov tamarinda, ktorého chuť výrazne pripomína sušené slivky), cocadas blancas (biele kokosové guličky) a veľa rôznych karameliek vrátane kávových.]]

[[The ceremony began after sunset at 7pm so we could see the beautiful light decoration in it's full glory. To add even more to the atmosphere, there was even live music.///La ceremonia comenzó después de atardecer a las 7, así pudimos ver la hermosa decoración de luz. Para mejorar la atmósfera, había también música en vivo.///The ceremony began after sunset at 7pm so we could see the beautiful light decoration in it's full glory. To add even more to the atmosphere, there was even live music.///Cirkevný obrad sa začal o 19:00, po západe slnka, a tak mohla vyniknúť krásna svetelná výzdoba. Celú atmosféru dopĺňala živá hudba.]]

[[After toasting with tasty sangria coupled with letting go of balloons, Vane & Beto went to take a few portrait pictures before the dinner started.///Después de brindis con sangría sabrosa y soltar los globos, Vane y Beto fue a tomar algunas buenas fotos antes de la cena.///After toasting with tasty sangria coupled with letting go of balloons, Vane & Beto went to take a few portrait pictures before the dinner started.///Po vypustení balónov a osviežením sa chutnou sangriou si mladomanželia Vane a Beto ukradli trošku času na pár portrétov. ]]

[[Vane surprised us with an interesting alternative to bouquet toss - she put her bouquet to a transparent box and locked it with a key. Then, the single ladies came and picked up one of many keys from the basket, hoping they will pick the one key that fits the lock. The lady that would pick the right key and open the box would be the one to get married :)///Vane nos sorprendió con una alternativa interesante de tirar el ramo de la novia. Ella puso su ramo en una caja transparente y la cerró con una llave. Después, las damas solteras llegaron y cada una tomó una llave de una canasta. La que escogería la llave correcta y abriría la caja sería la que se va a casar :)///Vane surprised us with an interesting alternative to bouquet toss - she put her bouquet to a transparent box and locked it with a key. Then, the single ladies came and picked up one of many keys from the basket, hoping they will pick the one key that fits the lock. The lady that would pick the right key and open the box would be the one to get married :)///Vane nás prekvapila zaujímavou alternatívou hodu kytice. Svoju kyticu uzamkla do pripravenej krabice a na nevydaté kamarátky čakal košík s kľúčikmi. Jeden z nich bol správny a mal nám prezradiť, ktorá slečna sa ako prvá bude vydávať.]]

[[We would like to express our deep gratitude to Maria Elvira and the whole team of Chuscalito restaurant (www.chuscalito.com) for helping us find our last wedding in South America, and for their warm and friendly attitude. They took care of us and we spent hours of talking together, trying local food and just having a really good time. But we wouldn't have had the opportunity if not for Vane and Beto, who accepted our proposal to photograph their wedding and let us be there with them. Thank you again very much for inviting us, it was great pleasure spending your special day with you. We wish you all the best in the years to come, let all the days be as special as this one :)///Nos gustaría decir nuestra profunda gratitud a Maria Elvira e a restaurante Chuscalito (www.chuscalito.com) por ayudarnos a encontrar última boda de nuestro proyecto y por su cálida y cordial bienvenida. Pasamos un buen tiempo probando comida y hablando por muchas horas. Tuvimos un buen rato :) Pero no hubiéramos tenido la oportunidad sin Vane y Beto, quienes aceptaron nuestra propuesta y dejanos fotografiar su boda. Muchisimas gracias por invitarnos, fue un gran placer pasar su día especial con ustedes. ¡Felicidades, y que tengan juntos una vida plena de bendiciones y maravillas! :)///We would like to express our deep gratitude to Maria Elvira and the whole team of Chuscalito restaurant (www.chuscalito.com) for helping us find our last wedding in South America, and for their warm and friendly attitude. They took care of us and we spent hours of talking together, trying local food and just having a really good time. But we wouldn't have had the opportunity if not for Vane and Beto, who accepted our proposal to photograph their wedding and let us be there with them. Thank you again very much for inviting us, it was great pleasure spending your special day with you. We wish you all the best in the years to come, let all the days be as special as this one :)///Naše veľké ďakujem patrí Marii Elvire a celému tímu reštaurácie Chuscalito (www.chuscalito.com), že nám pomohli nájsť našu poslednú svadbu v Južnej Amerike a za ich srdečný a priateľský prístup, a že sa o nás celý čas pekne starali. Zároveň by to všetko nebolo možné bez súhlasu Vanesy a Gilberta, ktorým touto cetou ešte raz veľmi pekne ďakujeme a želáme vám veľa šťastia v spoločnom živote a veľa nezabudnuteľných a radostných momentov. Bolo nám nesmiernym potešením byť súčasťou vášho dôležitého a jedinečného dňa.]]

[twentyweddings]

Argentina - East Coast III

Playas Doradas

[[After the crazy long drives on long and quite boring roads of eastern Argentina, we needed a place to stay and rest for a while. We checked the map and a small place called Playas Doradas caught our eye - it means golden beaches :) So we drove there, found a campsite and stayed there for 4 days, swimming, resting and chatting with curious locals - we were the only non local tourists here. We wanted to stay only 3 days, but there was only one (empty)ATM in the whole town and for three days they failed to refill it, always saying the classic mañana mañana (tomorrow)... until we got bored, managed to change some dollars and left the town :)///After the crazy long drives on long and quite boring roads of eastern Argentina, we needed a place to stay and rest for a while. We checked the map and a small place called Playas Doradas caught our eye - it means golden beaches :) So we drove there, found a campsite and stayed there for 4 days, swimming, resting and chatting with curious locals - we were the only non local tourists here. We wanted to stay only 3 days, but there was only one (empty)ATM in the whole town and for three days they failed to refill it, always saying the classic mañana mañana (tomorrow)... until we got bored, managed to change some dollars and left the town :)///After the crazy long drives on long and quite boring roads of eastern Argentina, we needed a place to stay and rest for a while. We checked the map and a small place called Playas Doradas caught our eye - it means golden beaches :) So we drove there, found a campsite and stayed there for 4 days, swimming, resting and chatting with curious locals - we were the only non local tourists here. We wanted to stay only 3 days, but there was only one (empty)ATM in the whole town and for three days they failed to refill it, always saying the classic mañana mañana (tomorrow)... until we got bored, managed to change some dollars and left the town :)///Po posledných dlhých presunoch sme potrebovali niekde na chvíľku zakotviť a oddýchnuť si. Na mape ma upútalo mestečko s lákavým názvom Playas Doradas (zlaté pláže), bolo tám aj pár kempov, tak sme si nejaký vybrali a nepohli sa odtiaľ štyri dni. O jeden deň trošku dlhšie ako sme plánovali, lebo jediný bankomat bol bez peňazí a nejako im trvalo ho doplniť, klasické maňana, maňana, až sme nakoniec zamenili pár dolárov.]]

Balneário El Condor

[[Balneário El Condor - a city known mostly as world's largest parrot colony - about 200 000 of them live along just 12km of the coastline. Upon entering the town, you’ll see them practically everywhere, sitting on electric cables like pidgeons :) They make a similar mess like them and also are quite noisy, so we spent the night outside of the city close to the cliffs where you can see them during the day. All along the coast, there are these huge cliffs, full of small holes, that these green parrots with yellow&red body use as their home. Funny thing is, they are very loud- but that noise gets louder if you move and they see you. We stayed there for a while, enjoying the magnificent sight :)///Balneário El Condor - a city known mostly as world's largest parrot colony - about 200 000 of them live along just 12km of the coastline. Upon entering the town, you’ll see them practically everywhere, sitting on electric cables like pidgeons :) They make a similar mess like them and also are quite noisy, so we spent the night outside of the city close to the cliffs where you can see them during the day. All along the coast, there are these huge cliffs, full of small holes, that these green parrots with yellow&red body use as their home. Funny thing is, they are very loud- but that noise gets louder if you move and they see you. We stayed there for a while, enjoying the magnificent sight :)///Balneário El Condor - a city known mostly as world's largest parrot colony - about 200 000 of them live along just 12km of the coastline. Upon entering the town, you’ll see them practically everywhere, sitting on electric cables like pidgeons :) They make a similar mess like them and also are quite noisy, so we spent the night outside of the city close to the cliffs where you can see them during the day. All along the coast, there are these huge cliffs, full of small holes, that these green parrots with yellow&red body use as their home. Funny thing is, they are very loud- but that noise gets louder if you move and they see you. We stayed there for a while, enjoying the magnificent sight :)///Balneário El Condor, prímorské mestečko známe najväčšou kolóniou papagájov na svete - na krátkom 12km úseku pobrežia ich žije až okolo 200 tisíc. V meste ich uvidíte sedieť na elektrických kábloch ako holuby, robia aj rovnaký bordel, chvíľu sme sa čudovali, prečo na tejto časti ulice nikto neparkuje... Robia aj poriadny hurhaj :). Pobrežie je lemované útesmi, ktoré sú plné hniezd a skrýš týchto zelených papagájov s červeno-žltými bruškami. Značne väčší hluk robia aj keď sa začnete hýbať, len smelo, my sme sa dlho zabávali.]]

Tandil

[[We had just 300km to go to Buenos Aires, so we decided to make one last stop in the town of Tandil - a nice and very green city. Ivan was quite impressed by the city and loved it, I thought it was ok. Quiet, lots of greenery, clean, calm, nice views… A little bit empty during the day, but in the morning and evening there were a lot of people running, it seems to be very popular here.///We had just 300km to go to Buenos Aires, so we decided to make one last stop in the town of Tandil - a nice and very green city. Ivan was quite impressed by the city and loved it, I thought it was ok. Quiet, lots of greenery, clean, calm, nice views… A little bit empty during the day, but in the morning and evening there were a lot of people running, it seems to be very popular here.///We had just 300km to go to Buenos Aires, so we decided to make one last stop in the town of Tandil - a nice and very green city. Ivan was quite impressed by the city and loved it, I thought it was ok. Quiet, lots of greenery, clean, calm, nice views… A little bit empty during the day, but in the morning and evening there were a lot of people running, it seems to be very popular here.///Od Buenos Aires nás delilo posledných 300 km, tak sme si urobili poslednú zastávku v meste Tandil, ktoré bolo plné zelene. Ivana očarilo rozhodne viac ako mňa, naozaj pekné, zelené, kľudné, čisté, počas dňa trošku vymreté, ráno behuchtiví argentínčania, ale inak nuda, tešila som sa už do Buenos Aires a zle som sa vyspala.]]

[[See you next time in beautiful Buenos Aires :)///See you next time in beautiful Buenos Aires :)///See you next time in beautiful Buenos Aires :)///Uvidíme sa nabudúce v nádnernom Buenos Aires, Paríži Južnej Ameriky :)]]

[twentyweddings]

Argentina - East Coast II

GaimAn

[[Gaiman - a small city with non-argentinian sounding name (I immediately thought of Neil Gaiman), was created in 19th century by welsh immigrants and it definitely influenced the local architecture and feeling of the city. You can walk around the town and enjoy a cup of tea and gorgeous looking pastry in one of Gaiman’s beautiful tearooms. We arrived very early and couldn’t decide which one to visit (and wait until they actually open), so we bought everything what we saw in a local bakery and enjoyed a picnic on the riverside. Gaiman is a calm and relaxed small town with a unique atmosphere and a joy to spend a few hours or days.///Gaiman - a small city with non-argentinian sounding name (I immediately thought of Neil Gaiman), was created in 19th century by welsh immigrants and it definitely influenced the local architecture and feeling of the city. You can walk around the town and enjoy a cup of tea and gorgeous looking pastry in one of Gaiman’s beautiful tearooms. We arrived very early and couldn’t decide which one to visit (and wait until they actually open), so we bought everything what we saw in a local bakery and enjoyed a picnic on the riverside. Gaiman is a calm and relaxed small town with a unique atmosphere and a joy to spend a few hours or days.///Gaiman - a small city with non-argentinian sounding name (I immediately thought of Neil Gaiman), was created in 19th century by welsh immigrants and it definitely influenced the local architecture and feeling of the city. You can walk around the town and enjoy a cup of tea and gorgeous looking pastry in one of Gaiman’s beautiful tearooms. We arrived very early and couldn’t decide which one to visit (and wait until they actually open), so we bought everything what we saw in a local bakery and enjoyed a picnic on the riverside. Gaiman is a calm and relaxed small town with a unique atmosphere and a joy to spend a few hours or days.///Mestečko Gaiman, ktorého názov neznie veľmi Argentínsky, bolo založené v 19. storočí waleskými imigrantami, ktoré sa podpísalo na architektúre ako aj na lokálnych atrakciách. Nájdete tu nádherné čajovne a pekárne plné vynikajúceho čajového pečiva, ktoré sa podáva aj v samotných čajovniach. My sme sa nevedeli rozhodnúť, do ktorej chceme ísť a nechcelo sa nám čakať do otvorenia, tak sme si nakúpili v pekárni a urobili si piknik pri rieke. Gaiman je kľudné a príjemné malé mestečko s jedinečnou atmosférou.]]

Península Valdés

[[On our long way north, the main point of interest and by far the most interesting place to visit on the east coast is Península Valdés (humbly called by themselves as The most beautiful bays of the world) - peninsula mostly known for many animals you can watch on its shore, including whale watching (southern right whale) from june till middle of december (so we obviously missed that). Depending on time of the year, you can also see killer whales, penguins and dolphins.///On our long way north, the main point of interest and by far the most interesting place to visit on the east coast is Península Valdés (humbly called by themselves as The most beautiful bays of the world) - peninsula mostly known for many animals you can watch on its shore, including whale watching (southern right whale) from june till middle of december (so we obviously missed that). Depending on time of the year, you can also see killer whales, penguins and dolphins.///On our long way north, the main point of interest and by far the most interesting place to visit on the east coast is Península Valdés (humbly called by themselves as The most beautiful bays of the world) - peninsula mostly known for many animals you can watch on its shore, including whale watching (southern right whale) from june till middle of december (so we obviously missed that). Depending on time of the year, you can also see killer whales, penguins and dolphins.///Cestou sme nemohli nenavštíviť Península Valdés (veľmi skromne si dávajú prívlastok “najkrajšie zátoky sveta”) (The Most Beautiful Bays of the World), poloostrov známy možnosťou pozorovania veľrýb (southern right whale) v období od júna do polky decembra, ktoré sme samozrejme v januári minuli, a troch druhov tuleňov (sea lions and elephant seal). Zahliadnuť sa dajú aj kosatky (killer whale) medzi februárom až aprílom a tučniaky (pinguins) od októbra do marca a celoročne občas zahliadnete aj delfíny (dolphins).]] [[Before entering, once again we were unpleasantly surprised by the “4-way pricing”(locals,argentinians,mercosur,the rest). We absolutely understand and support that local people and Argentinians who pay taxes should pay less or even nothing… What we don’t get that they charge mercosur countries (most of South American countries - and they don’t have any sort of bilateral agreements with them about this) and other countries of the world. If they really are going to charge more than double that mercosur countries pay(and 4x as Argentinians), at least they should invest a few of these entrance fees and pay someone to do their english translations properly and not with spanglish(sorry, rant over). We carrived later afternoon and because the entry was about 20$/person/day and we didn’t want to rush, we found a nice free campspot on the beach a few kilometres before the park entrance.///Before entering, once again we were unpleasantly surprised by the “4-way pricing”(locals,argentinians,mercosur,the rest). We absolutely understand and support that local people and Argentinians who pay taxes should pay less or even nothing… What we don’t get that they charge mercosur countries (most of South American countries - and they don’t have any sort of bilateral agreements with them about this) and other countries of the world. If they really are going to charge more than double that mercosur countries pay(and 4x as Argentinians), at least they should invest a few of these entrance fees and pay someone to do their english translations properly and not with spanglish(sorry, rant over). We carrived later afternoon and because the entry was about 20$/person/day and we didn’t want to rush, we found a nice free campspot on the beach a few kilometres before the park entrance.///Before entering, once again we were unpleasantly surprised by the “4-way pricing”(locals,argentinians,mercosur,the rest). We absolutely understand and support that local people and Argentinians who pay taxes should pay less or even nothing… What we don’t get that they charge mercosur countries (most of South American countries - and they don’t have any sort of bilateral agreements with them about this) and other countries of the world. If they really are going to charge more than double that mercosur countries pay(and 4x as Argentinians), at least they should invest a few of these entrance fees and pay someone to do their english translations properly and not with spanglish(sorry, rant over). We carrived later afternoon and because the entry was about 20$/person/day and we didn’t want to rush, we found a nice free campspot on the beach a few kilometres before the park entrance.///Ako prvé nás opäť nemilo prekvapilo cenové rozdelenie. Samozrejme chápeme, že lokálni z blízkej oblasti a samotní argentínčania, ktorí si na správu parku prispievajú z vlastných daní a vláda chce zároveň podporiť lokálny turizmus, čo nás však prekvapilo najviac boli ceny pre skupinu mercosur (väčšina krajín Južnej Ameriky, s ktorými nemajú žiadne bilaterálne dohody) a ostatných krajín. Keď už si pýtaju dvojnásobok ako pre mercosur krajiny a 4-násobok ako pre lokálnych, tak by naozaj mohli investovať aj do poriadnych anglických prekladov. Vstup je len na jeden deň s možnosťou predĺženia, ak máte dopredu zajednané ubytovanie. 260 ARS (takmer 20$) nás rozhodne prekvapilo. Takže sme sa noc rozhodli stráviť blízko pred vstupom do parku na pláži, aby sme sa ďalší deň nemuseli ponáhľať.]]

[[During the night, we watched a spectacular lightning storm above the peninsula.///During the night, we watched a spectacular lightning storm above the peninsula.///During the night, we watched a spectacular lightning storm above the peninsula.///Nad poloostrovom sa večer spustila riadna búrka.]]

[[The whole peninsula is quite large(4000 square km) - the northern point where you can watch the penguins and killer whales is 79km from the beginning.///The whole peninsula is quite large(4000 square km) - the northern point where you can watch the penguins and killer whales is 79km from the beginning.///The whole peninsula is quite large(4000 square km) - the northern point where you can watch the penguins and killer whales is 79km from the beginning.///Celý poloostrov je rozsiahly (4000km2), severný bod, odkiaľ sa dajú pozorovať okrem tuleňov aj kosatky, je vzdialený 79 km od prvého rázcestia.]] [[Punta Pirámide is the first stop after the information center, just 25km further. There are south american sea lions and also whales during their period of reproduction. Right next to this ploace is Puerto Pirámides, which is a port and a place to catch a boat to do some more whale watching(september to december). There’s also a gas station and the only official campground, which is often full, so you have to book ahead. There are some wild spots to camp on the peninsula, but it’s prohibited… so it’s up to you if you want to risk it or not. 75km east from there is Punta Delgada - a beach with a large cliff, home to a large colony of elephant seals. A little bit more north is Punta Cantor where you can also watch elephant seals on the beach. With so many options and quite large distances, we first went to the tourist center to ask where to go during this time of the year and also read a bit about the animals and learn their proper names in english and spanish, because in so many languages, it was a bit confusing.///Punta Pirámide is the first stop after the information center, just 25km further. There are south american sea lions and also whales during their period of reproduction. Right next to this ploace is Puerto Pirámides, which is a port and a place to catch a boat to do some more whale watching(september to december). There’s also a gas station and the only official campground, which is often full, so you have to book ahead. There are some wild spots to camp on the peninsula, but it’s prohibited… so it’s up to you if you want to risk it or not. 75km east from there is Punta Delgada - a beach with a large cliff, home to a large colony of elephant seals. A little bit more north is Punta Cantor where you can also watch elephant seals on the beach. With so many options and quite large distances, we first went to the tourist center to ask where to go during this time of the year and also read a bit about the animals and learn their proper names in english and spanish, because in so many languages, it was a bit confusing.///Punta Pirámide is the first stop after the information center, just 25km further. There are south american sea lions and also whales during their period of reproduction. Right next to this ploace is Puerto Pirámides, which is a port and a place to catch a boat to do some more whale watching(september to december). There’s also a gas station and the only official campground, which is often full, so you have to book ahead. There are some wild spots to camp on the peninsula, but it’s prohibited… so it’s up to you if you want to risk it or not. 75km east from there is Punta Delgada - a beach with a large cliff, home to a large colony of elephant seals. A little bit more north is Punta Cantor where you can also watch elephant seals on the beach. With so many options and quite large distances, we first went to the tourist center to ask where to go during this time of the year and also read a bit about the animals and learn their proper names in english and spanish, because in so many languages, it was a bit confusing.///Punta Pirámide je prvá zastavka od informačného centra, od ktorého je vzdialená 25 km. Nájdete tu tuleňov hrivnatých (South American sea lion) ale aj veľryby v obdobi reprodukcie. Hneď vedľa sa nachádza Puerto Pirámides odkiaľ odchádzajú lode s možnosťou sledovania veľrýb (Souther Right Whale) od júna do decembra. Nachádza sa tu aj čerpacia stanica a jediný kemping, ktorý zvykne byť plný. Kempovanie je povolené jedine v Puerto Pirámides, inak je striktne zakázané, rovnako aj vstup so zvieratami. Ďalších 75 km východne je Punta Delgada - pláž s útesom kde sa nachádza veľká kolónia tuleňov sloních (elephant seals). 42 km severne nad Punta Delgada sa nachádza Punta Cantor s možnosťou sledovania tuleňov sloních (elephant seal) na pláži. Naše prvé kroky viedli do turistického centra, kde nám poradili, kam sa máme vybrať, kde sa zrovna nachádzajú jednotlivé zvieratá a trošku sme si ujasnili terminológiu.]]

[[Quadrilingual section. Let's get the names right, because we were seriously confused who is who.///Quadrilingual section. Let's get the names right, because we were seriously confused who is who.///Quadrilingual section. Let's get the names right, because we were seriously confused who is who.///Štvorjazyčná časť - poďme si ujasniť čo je čo :)]]

Eubalaena australis = southern right whale = la ballena franca austral = veľryba južná [[(this was easy, the rest is a bit tricky, especialy in Slovak)///(this was easy, the rest is a bit tricky, especialy in Slovak)///(this was easy, the rest is a bit tricky, especialy in Slovak)///Toto ešte bolo v pohode, no zvyšok nás trochu zmiatol]] orcinus orca = killer whale = orca = kosatka dravá (not on the pictures) mirounga leonina = southern elephant seal = elephante marino del sur = tuleň sloní arctocephalus australis = South American fur seal = lobo marino de un pelo sudamericano = levovec medvedí otaria flavescens = Patagonian sea lion = lobo marino de dos pelos sudamericano = tuleň hrivnatý  

[[At the beginning of the peninsula, there’s also the “Bird Island”, that inspired Antoine de Saint Exupéry while writing his famous Little Prince. If you want to see the incredible amount of different birds on the island, I recommend getting yourself very good binoculars. We didn’t have them, so we could see that the island is almost covered with different types of birds, but it was too far away to distinguish the different species.///At the beginning of the peninsula, there’s also the “Bird Island”, that inspired Antoine de Saint Exupéry while writing his famous Little Prince. If you want to see the incredible amount of different birds on the island, I recommend getting yourself very good binoculars. We didn’t have them, so we could see that the island is almost covered with different types of birds, but it was too far away to distinguish the different species.///At the beginning of the peninsula, there’s also the “Bird Island”, that inspired Antoine de Saint Exupéry while writing his famous Little Prince. If you want to see the incredible amount of different birds on the island, I recommend getting yourself very good binoculars. We didn’t have them, so we could see that the island is almost covered with different types of birds, but it was too far away to distinguish the different species.///Pri začiatku rezervácie je Isla de los Pájaros (Ostrov papagájov), ktorým sa inšpiroval Antoine de Saint Exupéry pri písaní Malého Princa. Ak si chcete užiť pohľad na množstvo vtákov zblízka, odporúčam vám zohnať poriadny ďalekohľad. My sme skúsili jednotlivé druhy rozoznať, ale moc sa nám to nedarilo :). ]]

[[Next time - beach time, world's largest parrot colony and some other stuff, too.///Next time - beach time, world's largest parrot colony and some other stuff, too.///Next time - beach time, world's largest parrot colony and some other stuff, too.///Nabudúce - trochu pláž a tak. A najväčšia kolónia papagájov na svete :)]]

[twentyweddings]

Four heroes in #camarones , on the beautiful coast of #Argentina :) Don't you just love them? #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #cuteanimals #animals #penguin #ocean #dnescestujem #kofolonizace #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere (at Camarones, Chubut)

[twentyweddings]

Argentina - East Coast I

[[When we were driving down to southern Argentina, we saw most of the "tourist attractions" and interesting places on the west side. Therefore, we decided to drive on the less touristy, but very quick and empty road. 3000km of long straight paved roads, almost no curves on the road... Right. But we managed to see a few interesting places on the way.///When we were driving down to southern Argentina, we saw most of the "tourist attractions" and interesting places on the west side. Therefore, we decided to drive on the less touristy, but very quick and empty road. 3000km of long straight paved roads, almost no curves on the road... Right. But we managed to see a few interesting places on the way.///When we were driving down to southern Argentina, we saw most of the "tourist attractions" and interesting places on the west side. Therefore, we decided to drive on the less touristy, but very quick and empty road. 3000km of long straight paved roads, almost no curves on the road... Right. But we managed to see a few interesting places on the way.///Väčšinu atrakcií a ciest s krásnymi výhľadmi sme si užili v Argentíne smerom dolu po západnej časti, takže cesta hore smerom k Buenos Aires viedla menej zaujímavou, ale prázdnou a rýchlou cestou. Na ceste dlhej 3000 km sme však dokázali navštíviť pár zaujímavých miest.]]

[[Our first stop was the shore in San Julián - a small town on the coast. We went to check out the beach and thought of staying the night there, but there were many sharp looking shells... or something like that, so after some driving around and enjoying the place we left. Just outside of town, we stopped to have a lunch break on the gas station and noticed that one of our tires seemed suspiciously... underpressured. Being prepared for this, Ivan took out our portable air compressor, we aired up the tire and went to the nearest tire shop. There, after spending about 40 minutes looking for any leak, they said that either the hole "fixed" itself or there was no hole there in the first place. Just after leaving, we realized that a day before that we changed the oil and they aired our tires a bit, so maybe they scr*wed something. Nevertheless, we never got a flat tire again during the whole trip.///Our first stop was the shore in San Julián - a small town on the coast. We went to check out the beach and thought of staying the night there, but there were many sharp looking shells... or something like that, so after some driving around and enjoying the place we left. Just outside of town, we stopped to have a lunch break on the gas station and noticed that one of our tires seemed suspiciously... underpressured. Being prepared for this, Ivan took out our portable air compressor, we aired up the tire and went to the nearest tire shop. There, after spending about 40 minutes looking for any leak, they said that either the hole "fixed" itself or there was no hole there in the first place. Just after leaving, we realized that a day before that we changed the oil and they aired our tires a bit, so maybe they scr*wed something. Nevertheless, we never got a flat tire again during the whole trip.///Our first stop was the shore in San Julián - a small town on the coast. We went to check out the beach and thought of staying the night there, but there were many sharp looking shells... or something like that, so after some driving around and enjoying the place we left. Just outside of town, we stopped to have a lunch break on the gas station and noticed that one of our tires seemed suspiciously... underpressured. Being prepared for this, Ivan took out our portable air compressor, we aired up the tire and went to the nearest tire shop. There, after spending about 40 minutes looking for any leak, they said that either the hole "fixed" itself or there was no hole there in the first place. Just after leaving, we realized that a day before that we changed the oil and they aired our tires a bit, so maybe they scr*wed something. Nevertheless, we never got a flat tire again during the whole trip.///Prvú zastávku sme si urobili na pobreží v San Julián, pláž bola plná rôznych mušličiek a sem tam sme si neboli istí, či neublížia našim pneumatikám. Pri obedovej pauze na pumpe, sme si všimli, že nám podozrivo klesla pneumatika a nejak sa tvári vyfučano. Tak sme rýchlo doplnili vzduch a išli do prvého servisu. Tam po 40 minútach neúspešného hľadania nakoniec vyhlásili, že buď diera nebola alebo sa opravila sama. My sme si zároveň uvedomili, že nám pred odchodom z Ushuaie pri výmene oleja dopúšťali vzduch do pneumatík a možno niečo... pototo.]]

Monumento Nacional Bosques Petrificados

[[Our first (more interesting) stop was Bosques Petrificados, beautiful petrified forest that we've heard a lot about before heading north. To give you the idea of how large Argentina is, that was about 1100km from Ushuaia...our first stop. We weren't sure what to expect, as we've never seen anything like similar before. We arrived late at night, but the first thing that got our attention were the mountains around, which looked like they've been cut straight in one line. We decided to spend the night in the wilderness here - good choice, because we got to see one of the most beautiful night sky we've ever seen. Being in middle of nowhere helps with that quite a lot :)///Our first (more interesting) stop was Bosques Petrificados, beautiful petrified forest that we've heard a lot about before heading north. To give you the idea of how large Argentina is, that was about 1100km from Ushuaia...our first stop. We weren't sure what to expect, as we've never seen anything like similar before. We arrived late at night, but the first thing that got our attention were the mountains around, which looked like they've been cut straight in one line. We decided to spend the night in the wilderness here - good choice, because we got to see one of the most beautiful night sky we've ever seen. Being in middle of nowhere helps with that quite a lot :)///Our first (more interesting) stop was Bosques Petrificados, beautiful petrified forest that we've heard a lot about before heading north. To give you the idea of how large Argentina is, that was about 1100km from Ushuaia...our first stop. We weren't sure what to expect, as we've never seen anything like similar before. We arrived late at night, but the first thing that got our attention were the mountains around, which looked like they've been cut straight in one line. We decided to spend the night in the wilderness here - good choice, because we got to see one of the most beautiful night sky we've ever seen. Being in middle of nowhere helps with that quite a lot :)///Naša prvá zaujímavá zastávka bola v Bosques Petrificados (Skamenelé lesy), ktoré nás uchvátili viac, ako sme očakávali. Iba na znázornenie, aká obrovská je Argentína - táto prvá zastávka bola 1100km od Ushuaie... V prvom rade, sme si neboli istí, čo máme očákavať a vykúkali sme už od odbočky z hlavnej cesty. Pri prvom pohľade nás prekvapili kopce, ktoré sme videli zdiaľky a vyzerali ako keby boli všetky uťaté v rovnej línii. Trošku sme sa predchádzajúci deň zdržali a nestihli sme do parku prísť počas otváracích hodín, tak sme noc strávili ešte pred parkom s pekným západom slnka a krásnou nočnou oblohou.]]

[[The following morning, we went for a walk, but first we educated ourselves a bit at the guardpost, just to know a bit more about what we're about to look at. The petrified forest was "created" about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period, when these parts were covered with gigantic trees - "Araucaria" (up to 100m tall and 1000 years old) and the climate was very wet and windy. Due to the many volcanoes and their eruptions, some trees that have fallen because of the fierce winds were covered by a layer of ash, so they did not decompose. That, combined with heavily mineralized water that gets into all the places in the trunks and replaces the organic tissue and then a stone mold forms in it's place. In short, magic(petrification) happens and you have trees that look like real trees but are turned into stone. :) As the time was passing, erosion uncovered the trunks that we could admire. There's also a small museum on-site, where you are allowed to touch the "wood" and reassure yourself that it's really stone that you're looking at. Touching and especially collecting the petrified wood is strictly prohibited, but the guard told us people keep taking them from the place anyway. We hoped that more people would realize that if we keep doing that, there will be no more of this beautiful patrimony for the future generations. Luckily, the place is full of giant petrified trunks that no one would be able to steal :) One more great part about this park? The entry was free. :) It's just _a bit_ out of the way.///The following morning, we went for a walk, but first we educated ourselves a bit at the guardpost, just to know a bit more about what we're about to look at. The petrified forest was "created" about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period, when these parts were covered with gigantic trees - "Araucaria" (up to 100m tall and 1000 years old) and the climate was very wet and windy. Due to the many volcanoes and their eruptions, some trees that have fallen because of the fierce winds were covered by a layer of ash, so they did not decompose. That, combined with heavily mineralized water that gets into all the places in the trunks and replaces the organic tissue and then a stone mold forms in it's place. In short, magic(petrification) happens and you have trees that look like real trees but are turned into stone. :) As the time was passing, erosion uncovered the trunks that we could admire. There's also a small museum on-site, where you are allowed to touch the "wood" and reassure yourself that it's really stone that you're looking at. Touching and especially collecting the petrified wood is strictly prohibited, but the guard told us people keep taking them from the place anyway. We hoped that more people would realize that if we keep doing that, there will be no more of this beautiful patrimony for the future generations. Luckily, the place is full of giant petrified trunks that no one would be able to steal :) One more great part about this park? The entry was free. :) It's just _a bit_ out of the way.///The following morning, we went for a walk, but first we educated ourselves a bit at the guardpost, just to know a bit more about what we're about to look at. The petrified forest was "created" about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period, when these parts were covered with gigantic trees - "Araucaria" (up to 100m tall and 1000 years old) and the climate was very wet and windy. Due to the many volcanoes and their eruptions, some trees that have fallen because of the fierce winds were covered by a layer of ash, so they did not decompose. That, combined with heavily mineralized water that gets into all the places in the trunks and replaces the organic tissue and then a stone mold forms in it's place. In short, magic(petrification) happens and you have trees that look like real trees but are turned into stone. :) As the time was passing, erosion uncovered the trunks that we could admire. There's also a small museum on-site, where you are allowed to touch the "wood" and reassure yourself that it's really stone that you're looking at. Touching and especially collecting the petrified wood is strictly prohibited, but the guard told us people keep taking them from the place anyway. We hoped that more people would realize that if we keep doing that, there will be no more of this beautiful patrimony for the future generations. Luckily, the place is full of giant petrified trunks that no one would be able to steal :) One more great part about this park? The entry was free. :) It's just _a bit_ out of the way.///Ráno sme sa vydali na prechádzku, ale najprv sme sa rozhodli trošku povzdelávať u strážca parku, nech vieme, na čo sa vlastne máme pozerať a čo máme hľadať (nakoniec to bolo vcelku jasné :D). Skamenelé lesy vznikli pred 150 miliónmi rokmi v jurskom období, keď pre túto oblasť bola príznačná vlhká klíma s gigantickými stromami (“araucarias” or “pehuenes”) (až do 100 metrov vysoké a 1000 rokov staré). Pre toto obdobie bola príznačná silná vulkanická činnosť a silné vetry, ktoré polámali a zničili gigantické stromy, ktoré boli neskôr pokryté popolom z neďalkej sopky. Postupom času sa začal pomalý a zdĺhavý proces skamenenia (fosilizácie), keď dažďová voda prechádzala cez popol a obohatená o minerály prenikla do vnútra stromov a vyplnila prázdne miestečka v pochovaných stromoch a skryštalizovala. Tento proces sa nazýva “Silicification or petrification”. Ako čas plynul, erózie odokryli stromy, ktoré sme mohli navštíviť a hlbšie sa nachádzajú ešte staršie. Klíma sa rapídne zmenila a dnes je tam sucho a počas dňa veľmi horúco, preto sme boli radi, že sme sa na prechádzku vybrali ešte doobeda. V maličkom múzeu nájdete okrem popisu procesu aj pár exemplárov, ktoré si môžete “ošahať” a overiť si, že to drevo, na ktoré sa pozeráte, je naozaj kameň. Zbieranie a vôbec dotýkanie sa skamenelín je prísne zakázané, avšak strážca parku povedal, že aj napriek zákazu, si ľudia domov odnášajú nelegálne suveníry. Bohužiaľ, nie všetci ľudia dokážu pochopiť, že ak chceme niečo zanechať aj pre budúce generácie, nemôžeme byť sebeckí a odnášať si skameneliny z parku. Našťastie je národný park veľký a plný obrovských kusov, ktoré len tak niekto neodnesie :). Čerešnička na torte: vstup do tohto úžasného parku bol zadarmo, akurát je trošku mimo všetkého naokolo.]]

Cabo de dos Bahías

[[Well, we decided to spend the New Year with penguins, that Janka wanted to see in person :) Our friend José from Ushuaia recommended us to see the Cabo de Dos Bahías reserve next to the town of Camarones. There, you can find a colony of almost 20 000 Magellanic penguins, that live here from September till May. Not the worst place to be for the beginning of the new year in South America :)///Well, we decided to spend the New Year with penguins, that Janka wanted to see in person :) Our friend José from Ushuaia recommended us to see the Cabo de Dos Bahías reserve next to the town of Camarones. There, you can find a colony of almost 20 000 Magellanic penguins, that live here from September till May. Not the worst place to be for the beginning of the new year in South America :)///Well, we decided to spend the New Year with penguins, that Janka wanted to see in person :) Our friend José from Ushuaia recommended us to see the Cabo de Dos Bahías reserve next to the town of Camarones. There, you can find a colony of almost 20 000 Magellanic penguins, that live here from September till May. Not the worst place to be for the beginning of the new year in South America :)///Nový Rok sme sa rozhodli stráviť s tučniakmi, ktorých som túžila vidieť naživo. Náš kamarát José z Ushuaie nám odporučil navštíviť rezervu Cabo de Dos Bahías pri meste Camarones. Nachádza sa tu kolónia takmer 20 000 tučniakov magellanských, ktorí tu žijú od septembra do mája. Kúsok severnejšie sa nachádza ďalšia rezerva s tučniakmi Punta Tombo, ktorá je však turistickejšia a vstup už nie je zdarma.]]

[[The only place with shower we found nearby and we really wanted to see those penguins... I don't remember if I was brave enough to try one of these.///Jedine miesto so sprchou a ja som vazne chcela na Novy rok nesmrdiet a vidiet tucniaky a toto bola jedina moznost... Túto pánsku sprchu myslím Ivan radšej nepoužil...]]

[[I mentioned that I wanted to see penguins, right? Apart from them, there are other animals to see around here - ñandú (bird similar to ostrich or emu) and guanaco (wild type of llama).///I mentioned that I wanted to see penguins, right? Apart from them, there are other animals to see around here - ñandú (bird similar to ostrich or emu) and guanaco (wild type of llama).///I mentioned that I wanted to see penguins, right? Apart from them, there are other animals to see around here - ñandú (bird similar to ostrich or emu) and guanaco (wild type of llama).///Spomínala som, že som chcela vidieť tučniaky, však? Okrem tučniakov magallenských sa tu dajú zahliadnuť ñandú (vták podobný pštrosovi alebo emu) a guanaco (druh divoko žijúcej lamy)]]

[[I think I don't even have to say that I've seen a lot of the penguins and that I was leaving more than satisfied. :)///I think I don't even have to say that I've seen a lot of the penguins and that I was leaving more than satisfied. :)///I think I don't even have to say that I've seen a lot of the penguins and that I was leaving more than satisfied. :)///Myslim, že nemusím dodať, že som tučniakov videla dostatočne veľa a odchádzala som veľmi spokojná :)]]

[twentyweddings]

Found this awesome 12m high (40ft) cliff jump in cloudforest around #Mindo , Ecuador. I just couldn't resist :) #wouldyoudoit ? #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #ecuador #experience #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlife #dnescestujem #kofolonizace #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere

[twentyweddings]

UshuaIa - Fin del Mundo

Ushuaia

[[Ushuaia is a beautiful city, isolated in the southernmost part of Latin America - TIerra del Fuego, just about 1500km north from Antarctica. It's called "Fin del Mundo", which means end of the world, because it's said to be the southernmost city in the world and therefore it attracts numerous travellers that choose it for the beginning or end of their journey of the Americas. For us, it was a turning point - from now on, we go only north :)///Ushuaia is a beautiful city, isolated in the southernmost part of Latin America - TIerra del Fuego, just about 1500km north from Antarctica. It's called "Fin del Mundo", which means end of the world, because it's said to be the southernmost city in the world and therefore it attracts numerous travellers that choose it for the beginning or end of their journey of the Americas. For us, it was a turning point - from now on, we go only north :)///Ushuaia is a beautiful city, isolated in the southernmost part of Latin America - TIerra del Fuego, just about 1500km north from Antarctica. It's called "Fin del Mundo", which means end of the world, because it's said to be the southernmost city in the world and therefore it attracts numerous travellers that choose it for the beginning or end of their journey of the Americas. For us, it was a turning point - from now on, we go only north :)///Ushuaia je krásne mesto, izolované v najjužnejšej časti Južnej Ameriky s názvom ohňová zem (Tierra del Fuego), nachádzajúce sa iba 1500km severne od Antarktídy. Nazýva sa aj koncom sveta (Fin del Mundo), pretože je to najjužnejšie položené mesto na svete - aj vďaka tomuto pomenovaniu v cestovateľských kruhoch dobre známe a veľa ľudí si ho vyberá ako začiatok alebo koniec svojej cesty po Amerike. Pre nás to bol bod, kde sa smer našej cesty otočil po prvý a posledný raz - odteraz sa ide iba na sever :)]]

[[You can only reach this part of Argentina by going through Chile first - there's no road that would go straight here, thanks to the part of land in Tierra del Fuego that is Chilean. In reality, there are three different cities that proudly call themselves the "end of the world" - two in Chile and one in Argentina. The first is Punta Arenas, which is a few hundred kilometres north, but it's a big city (250k+ inhabitants). I can see the reasoning, but I wouldn't call it the southernmost in the world. Second one is Ushuaia in Argentina, that we would call the southernmost city too - there's no road that goes further down (ok, almost none, if you don't count the naval base :) ). If you cross the ocean though, located on one of the islands there is Puerto Williams - a Chilean town of about 3000 inhabitants, that call itself "Fin del Mundo" city as well. It's true that it's located a few kilometres further south, but as it's so small and without any road going to it, so we agreed that the end of the world would for us would be Ushuaia. :)///You can only reach this part of Argentina by going through Chile first - there's no road that would go straight here, thanks to the part of land in Tierra del Fuego that is Chilean. In reality, there are three different cities that proudly call themselves the "end of the world" - two in Chile and one in Argentina. The first is Punta Arenas, which is a few hundred kilometres north, but it's a big city (250k+ inhabitants). I can see the reasoning, but I wouldn't call it the southernmost in the world. Second one is Ushuaia in Argentina, that we would call the southernmost city too - there's no road that goes further down (ok, almost none, if you don't count the naval base :) ). If you cross the ocean though, located on one of the islands there is Puerto Williams - a Chilean town of about 3000 inhabitants, that call itself "Fin del Mundo" city as well. It's true that it's located a few kilometres further south, but as it's so small and without any road going to it, so we agreed that the end of the world would for us would be Ushuaia. :)///You can only reach this part of Argentina by going through Chile first - there's no road that would go straight here, thanks to the part of land in Tierra del Fuego that is Chilean. In reality, there are three different cities that proudly call themselves the "end of the world" - two in Chile and one in Argentina. The first is Punta Arenas, which is a few hundred kilometres north, but it's a big city (250k+ inhabitants). I can see the reasoning, but I wouldn't call it the southernmost in the world. Second one is Ushuaia in Argentina, that we would call the southernmost city too - there's no road that goes further down (ok, almost none, if you don't count the naval base :) ). If you cross the ocean though, located on one of the islands there is Puerto Williams - a Chilean town of about 3000 inhabitants, that call itself "Fin del Mundo" city as well. It's true that it's located a few kilometres further south, but as it's so small and without any road going to it, so we agreed that the end of the world would for us would be Ushuaia. :)///Do tejto časti Argentíny sa dá dostať jedine cez Čile - neexistuje žiadna cesta, ktorá by išla priamo len cez Argentínu. V skutočnosti existujú tri mestá, ktoré sa nazývajú koncom sveta - dve sa nachádzajú v Čile a jedno v Argentíne. Prvým je Punta Arenas, ktoré sa nachádza niekoľko sto kilometrov severne s počtom obyvateľov viac ako 250 tisíc, pretože ho považujú za najjužnejšie veľké mesto. Druhým mestom je Ushuaia, ktorá sa nachádza v Argentíne, a ktorú by som s kľudným svedomím označila za najjužnejšie mesto, pretože sa ešte dá považovať za mesto a cesta odtiaľto už južnejšie nevedie. Na druhej strane Beaglovho kanála sa ešte nachádza maličké mestečko Puerto Williams, ktoré síce je južnejšie ako Ushuaia, ale je už tak malé, že sa už veľmi označiť za mesto nedá.]]

[[The history of the city and its beginnings are linked with building the jail, isolated from the rest of the country. In the 1950s, Ushuaia became an important port and a wealthy city, due to the natural resources of the region - wood, gold, wool, fishing and nowadays also tourism all shaped Ushuaia to what it is now - a beautiful and wealthy town, that is also a gate to the Antarctica - during the season the tourist ships leave almost daily.///The history of the city and its beginnings are linked with building the jail, isolated from the rest of the country. In the 1950s, Ushuaia became an important port and a wealthy city, due to the natural resources of the region - wood, gold, wool, fishing and nowadays also tourism all shaped Ushuaia to what it is now - a beautiful and wealthy town, that is also a gate to the Antarctica - during the season the tourist ships leave almost daily.///The history of the city and its beginnings are linked with building the jail, isolated from the rest of the country. In the 1950s, Ushuaia became an important port and a wealthy city, due to the natural resources of the region - wood, gold, wool, fishing and nowadays also tourism all shaped Ushuaia to what it is now - a beautiful and wealthy town, that is also a gate to the Antarctica - during the season the tourist ships leave almost daily.///História mesta a jeho začiatky sa viažu k postaveniu väzenia, v roku 1950 sa stalo dôležitým námorníckým prístavom. Bohatstvo pochádzalo z ťažby dreva, zlata, vlny, rybárstva a v dnešnej dobe turizmu. Počas najväčšej sezóny takmer každý deň odchádzajú lode smerom na Antarktídu.]]

[[In the evening, we met with our good friend from Couchsurfing - José with his girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Roxana :)///In the evening, we met with our good friend from Couchsurfing - José with his girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Roxana :)///In the evening, we met with our good friend from Couchsurfing - José with his girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Roxana :)///Večer sa stretávame s našim kamáratom z Couchsurfingu s Josém a jeho priateľkou Roxanou.]]

Christmas

[[On the Christmas eve, we were enjoying the spirit of christmas and just a nice relaxing day(just stressing a bit about Janka baking a bit late :) ). We were preparing traditional slovak pastry called "medovníky", made from lots of honey, some flour and spices. Ivan was trying to make kapustnica, traditional slovak soup made from sour cabbage (sauerkraut), but the cabbage was smelling like vinegar, because the "sourness" wasn't achieved by traditional fermentation, they just added vinegar... So he just throwed the whole first batch away and washed the cabbage really thoroughly when doing the second batch. After succesfull cooking and we spent a lovely christmas evening with Roxana & José with his family - thank you so much for letting us feel like at home. In Argentina, they don't really have a dish that would be a must-have traditional meal like we have in Slovakia, every family just cooks what they like. We also managed to call home during the normal time, thanks to the few hour time difference.///On the Christmas eve, we were enjoying the spirit of christmas and just a nice relaxing day(just stressing a bit about Janka baking a bit late :) ). We were preparing traditional slovak pastry called "medovníky", made from lots of honey, some flour and spices. Ivan was trying to make kapustnica, traditional slovak soup made from sour cabbage (sauerkraut), but the cabbage was smelling like vinegar, because the "sourness" wasn't achieved by traditional fermentation, they just added vinegar... So he just throwed the whole first batch away and washed the cabbage really thoroughly when doing the second batch. After succesfull cooking and we spent a lovely christmas evening with Roxana & José with his family - thank you so much for letting us feel like at home. In Argentina, they don't really have a dish that would be a must-have traditional meal like we have in Slovakia, every family just cooks what they like. We also managed to call home during the normal time, thanks to the few hour time difference.///On the Christmas eve, we were enjoying the spirit of christmas and just a nice relaxing day(just stressing a bit about Janka baking a bit late :) ). We were preparing traditional slovak pastry called "medovníky", made from lots of honey, some flour and spices. Ivan was trying to make kapustnica, traditional slovak soup made from sour cabbage (sauerkraut), but the cabbage was smelling like vinegar, because the "sourness" wasn't achieved by traditional fermentation, they just added vinegar... So he just throwed the whole first batch away and washed the cabbage really thoroughly when doing the second batch. After succesfull cooking and we spent a lovely christmas evening with Roxana & José with his family - thank you so much for letting us feel like at home. In Argentina, they don't really have a dish that would be a must-have traditional meal like we have in Slovakia, every family just cooks what they like. We also managed to call home during the normal time, thanks to the few hour time difference.///Štedrý deň si užívame vianočnú pohodu (niekto síce stresuje, že medovníku nebudú pripravené na večeru, ale všetko akurát stíhame). Improvizovane robíme medovníky, namiesto válčeka poslúžila fľaša s rumom. Ivan sa pokúša urobiť kapustnicu, ale kyslá kapusta nie je prirodzene fermentovaná, ale je s pridaným octom. Tak začne variť druhú s tým, že poriadne premyje kapustu, aby sa zbavil octového zápachu a chuti. Po úspešnom pripravení kapustnice a medovníkov sa vydávame osláviť Vianoce s Roxanou, Josém a jeho rodinou - ktorým ešte raz ďakujeme za príjemne strávené Vianoce. Ak vás zaujímalo, čo špeciálne si varia v Argentíne, tak nemajú žiadne tradičné jedlo ako u nás. Navaria si to, čo majú radi, vrátane ovocného šalátu. Keďže máme len 4 hodinový posun, stihli sme online osláviť Vianoce aj s našou rodinou na Slovensku.]]

Laguna Esmeralda

[[The first day after christmas we decided go for a small hike to see nearby Laguna Esmeralda. We noticed that a very large portion of the forest around was destroyed, but weird kind of destroyed. José informed us, that the damage was done by beavers. These otherwise quite cute animals are not native here and were brought onboard on ships from Canada. As they don't have natural enemy, their population grew to a really large level. They destroyed a huge amount of forest in Tierra del Fuego while building their dams on local rivers.///The first day after christmas we decided go for a small hike to see nearby Laguna Esmeralda. We noticed that a very large portion of the forest around was destroyed, but weird kind of destroyed. José informed us, that the damage was done by beavers. These otherwise quite cute animals are not native here and were brought onboard on ships from Canada. As they don't have natural enemy, their population grew to a really large level. They destroyed a huge amount of forest in Tierra del Fuego while building their dams on local rivers.///The first day after christmas we decided go for a small hike to see nearby Laguna Esmeralda. We noticed that a very large portion of the forest around was destroyed, but weird kind of destroyed. José informed us, that the damage was done by beavers. These otherwise quite cute animals are not native here and were brought onboard on ships from Canada. As they don't have natural enemy, their population grew to a really large level. They destroyed a huge amount of forest in Tierra del Fuego while building their dams on local rivers.///Na prvý sviatok vianočný sme sa rozhodli dať si prechádzku k neďalekej Lagune Esmeralde. Cestou sme si všimli, že veľké množstvo lesov je zničených - José nás informoval, že vyplienené oblasti majú na svedomí bobry, ktoré sa sem na lodiach dostali z Kanady. Nemajú žiadneho prirodzeného nepriateľa, takže sa im tu neskutočne darí. Pri stavaní svojich hrádz zničili veľa lesov v Tierra del Fuego.]]

[[One part of the hike was feeling strange, the soil felt sooo good to walk on - so soft and flexible. It turned out we were walking on peat.///One part of the hike was feeling strange, the soil felt sooo good to walk on - so soft and flexible.///One part of the hike was feeling strange, the soil felt sooo good to walk on - so soft and flexible. It turned out we were walking on peat.///Jednu časť k jazeru sme kráčali po veľmi mäkkom, pružnom a príjemnom povrchu, ktorým bola rašelina.]]

Asado

[[The following day José took us fishing and we also made a traditional argentinian asado - which could be translated as barbecue. Overall it was a great morning, asado, fresh caught fish on a grill... Later we went to see Estancia Haberton, which was the first ranch (estancia) in Tierra del Fuego, built by a missionary Thomas Bridges. It's 85km east of Ushuaia and was a very nice day trip to go there.///The following day José took us fishing and we also made a traditional argentinian asado - which could be translated as barbecue. Overall it was a great morning, asado, fresh caught fish on a grill... Later we went to see Estancia Haberton, which was the first ranch (estancia) in Tierra del Fuego, built by a missionary Thomas Bridges. It's 85km east of Ushuaia and was a very nice day trip to go there.///The following day José took us fishing and we also made a traditional argentinian asado - which could be translated as barbecue. Overall it was a great morning, asado, fresh caught fish on a grill... Later we went to see Estancia Haberton, which was the first ranch (estancia) in Tierra del Fuego, built by a missionary Thomas Bridges. It's 85km east of Ushuaia and was a very nice day trip to go there.///Na druhý sviatok vianočný nás José vzal na rybačku a asado (čo si môžete predstaviť ako grilovačku) k rieke neďaleko Ushuaie, spolu s jeho kolegom a deťmi. Poobede sme sa presunuli pozrieť si Estanciu Habertón, ktorá bola prvým rančom v Tierra del Fuego, postavená misionárom - Thomas Bridges. Nachádza sa 85 km východne od Ushuaie je to veľmi príjemný denný výlet.]]

Estancia Harberton

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego

[[On the last day, we went to see National Park Tierra del Fuego. Upon entry, we were a bit surprised by the huge difference in entry fees for foreign tourists and tourists from neighbouring countries, that were quite common in Argentina (we paid roughly 4x more than locals and 2x more as South Americans). They don't have any bilateral agreements, so we had mixed feelings about this. This was the symbolic end of the road, this is basically as far south as you can drive, the only way from here is - north. The road number 3 goes straight from here to Buenos Aires, just about 3000 km drive... Right. There are many things and tails in the national park, you can enjoy the view on Beagle Channel, send a postcard from the end of the world and enjoy some more views. And... turn around and head north :)///On the last day, we went to see National Park Tierra del Fuego. Upon entry, we were a bit surprised by the huge difference in entry fees for foreign tourists and tourists from neighbouring countries, that were quite common in Argentina (we paid roughly 4x more than locals and 2x more as South Americans). They don't have any bilateral agreements, so we had mixed feelings about this. This was the symbolic end of the road, this is basically as far south as you can drive, the only way from here is - north. The road number 3 goes straight from here to Buenos Aires, just about 3000 km drive... Right. There are many things and tails in the national park, you can enjoy the view on Beagle Channel, send a postcard from the end of the world and enjoy some more views. And... turn around and head north :)///On the last day, we went to see National Park Tierra del Fuego. Upon entry, we were a bit surprised by the huge difference in entry fees for foreign tourists and tourists from neighbouring countries, that were quite common in Argentina (we paid roughly 4x more than locals and 2x more as South Americans). They don't have any bilateral agreements, so we had mixed feelings about this. This was the symbolic end of the road, this is basically as far south as you can drive, the only way from here is - north. The road number 3 goes straight from here to Buenos Aires, just about 3000 km drive... Right. There are many things and tails in the national park, you can enjoy the view on Beagle Channel, send a postcard from the end of the world and enjoy some more views. And... turn around and head north :)///V posledný deň sme sa vybrali navštíviť Národný park Tierra del Fuego. Pri vstupe nás prekvapili cenové rozdiely vstupného pre zahraničných turistov a turistov z mercosur krajín (Čile, Brazília, Uruguaj, Paraguaj, Bolívia, Ekvádor), ktoré v Argentíne boli bežné. Len pre informáciu s okolitými krajinami nemajú doteraz žiadnu bilaterálnu dohodu o lepších cenách vstupného, tak sme mali z toho veľmi zmiešané pocity. V národnom parku sa nachádza aj koniec cesty č. 3, ktorá vedie dlhých 3000 km až do Buenos Aires, kam sme ďalší deň odchádzali. V parku nájdete náučny chodník o rašeline, výhľad na Beaglov kanál, poštu na konci sveta a zaujímavé výhľady.]]

Bonus information

[[By the way, one interesting thing about Ushuaia - The days were extremely long here, as we were very close to the south pole and it was just few days after the summer solstice - the day was almost 17.5 hours long and it never got completely dark. Awesome :)///By the way, one interesting thing about Ushuaia - The days were extremely long here, as we were very close to the south pole and it was just few days after the summer solstice - the day was almost 17.5 hours long and it never got completely dark. Awesome :)///By the way, one interesting thing about Ushuaia - The days were extremely long here, as we were very close to the south pole and it was just few days after the summer solstice - the day was almost 17.5 hours long and it never got completely dark. Awesome :)///Zaujímavá informácia o Ushuaji - dni sú tu v lete veľmi dlhé, keďže sme blízko južného pólu a denného svetla si môžete vychutnať skoro až 17,5 hodín bez toho, aby bola v noci úplná tma.]]

[twentyweddings]

This was our neighbour for the night on the famous #Quilotoa loop <3 #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #llama #ecuador #experience #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlife #dnescestujem #kofolonizace #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere (at Llullu Llama Mountain Lodge)

[twentyweddings]

The most amazing swing in the world... is in Ecuador :) <3 #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #swing #ecuador #casadelarbol #banos #experience #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlife #dnescestujem #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere (at Casa Del Arbol, Baños, Ecuador)

[twentyweddings]

Chile - on the way south

Puerto Natales

[[We've been very busy travelling in Perú, so there was a bit of a delay with the blog. We'll try to get back to it now, so don't forget to subscribe ;)///We've been very busy travelling in Perú, so there was a bit of a delay with the blog. We'll try to get back to it now, so don't forget to subscribe ;)///We've been very busy travelling in Perú, so there was a bit of a delay with the blog. We'll try to get back to it now, so don't forget to subscribe ;)///Cestovanie niekedy nenecháva čas na písanie článkov a v Peru sme si nenašli veľa času, no polepšíme sa, tak nás nezabudnite sledovať :)]]

[[Puerto Natales is a nice small town and a good place to get ready for Torres del Paine (and rest after doing some hiking there). You won't find many attractions in the town, but it was definitely a nice place to be - just walking around the shore, enjoying the sunset, or watching the local kids playing and joining them :)///Puerto Natales is a nice small town and a good place to get ready for Torres del Paine (and rest after doing some hiking there). You won't find many attractions in the town, but it was definitely a nice place to be - just walking around the shore, enjoying the sunset, or watching the local kids playing and joining them :)///Puerto Natales is a nice small town and a good place to get ready for Torres del Paine (and rest after doing some hiking there). You won't find many attractions in the town, but it was definitely a nice place to be - just walking around the shore, enjoying the sunset, or watching the local kids playing and joining them :)///Puerto Natales je príjemné mestečko vhodné na oddýchnutie a danie sa dokopy pred a po návšteve Národného Parku Torres del Paine. V meste nenájdete veľa turistických atrakcií, ale rozhodne je príjemné sa poprechádzať po promenáde a vychutnať si krásny západ slnka, prípadne sa nechať vtiahnuť do bezstarostného života s deťmi blázniacimi sa naokolo.]]

[[On our first day there, Ivan tried to end our endless saga with our padrón - the chilean document for the car ownership, that wasn't in the system even after two months. The last time we were dealing with the problem was in Temuco, where we sort of gave up and paid again to put our transfer into the system, but this time directly at the "civil registry" and not through a notary(who couldn't be bothered to send it to them, apparently). A surprisingly friendly lady gave us her contact info there, so when we checked here in Puerto Natales - still not in the system - we called her and she actually checked what's happening and told us it got delayed in Santiago and it  "should" be done in a week. Good.///On our first day there, Ivan tried to end our endless saga with our padrón - the chilean document for the car ownership, that wasn't in the system even after two months. The last time we were dealing with the problem was in Temuco, where we sort of gave up and paid again to put our transfer into the system, but this time directly at the "civil registry" and not through a notary(who couldn't be bothered to send it to them, apparently). A surprisingly friendly lady gave us her contact info there, so when we checked here in Puerto Natales - still not in the system - we called her and she actually checked what's happening and told us it got delayed in Santiago and it  "should" be done in a week. Good.///On our first day there, Ivan tried to end our endless saga with our padrón - the chilean document for the car ownership, that wasn't in the system even after two months. The last time we were dealing with the problem was in Temuco, where we sort of gave up and paid again to put our transfer into the system, but this time directly at the "civil registry" and not through a notary(who couldn't be bothered to send it to them, apparently). A surprisingly friendly lady gave us her contact info there, so when we checked here in Puerto Natales - still not in the system - we called her and she actually checked what's happening and told us it got delayed in Santiago and it  "should" be done in a week. Good.///Ivan sa v prvý deň pokúsil o ukončenie našej nekonečnej ságy o získaní padrónu - technického preukazu, ktorý stále nebol ani po 2 mesiacoch evidovaný v systéme. Naposledy sme to riešili v Temucu, kde sme rezignovali a zaplatili za opätovné zadanie do systému, tentokrát však priamo na miestnom úrade a nie cez notára. Sympatická pracovníčka nám na seba nechala kontakt, aby sme sa v prípade komplikácii vedeli spojiť. My sme neváhali a zavolali jej, keď aj napriek ďalším 3-4 týždňom naša žiadosť stále nebola spracovaná. Žiadosť preverila a vysvetlila, že sa to zdržalo niekde v Santiagu a v priebehu týždňa to bude spracované, čo vychádzalo niekedy medzi sviatkami.]][[We stayed here for a couple of days just to get our strength back after the Torres del Paine, but then we left for Ushuaia. On the way there, we had one last stop - Punta Arenas, one of the three cities that call themselves "end of the world" - more about that in the next blog post.///We stayed here for a couple of days just to get our strength back after the Torres del Paine, but then we left for Ushuaia. On the way there, we had one last stop - Punta Arenas, one of the three cities that call themselves "end of the world" - more about that in the next blog post.///We stayed here for a couple of days just to get our strength back after the Torres del Paine, but then we left for Ushuaia. On the way there, we had one last stop - Punta Arenas, one of the three cities that call themselves "end of the world" - more about that in the next blog post.///V Puerto Natales sme ostali pár dní na načerpanie síl a trošku práce pred naším presunom do Ushuaje. Cestou sme sa však zastavili v Punta Arenas, ktoré je označované ako jedno z 3 najjužnejších miest (viac si o tom povieme v Ushuaji).]]

Punta Arenas

[[Punta Arenas is a big and modern city and also a home to the "zona franca", which mean duty free area. Good place to go shopping for electronics, food, alcohol or car related stuff. It's also a place where some travellers buy a car (and then travel north), albeit with a smaller market then Santiago. We bought a few small things(=chocolate) and cleaned our super dirty car...which was even more dirty after a few days because of a muddy dirt road. That's life.///Punta Arenas is a big and modern city and also a home to the "zona franca", which mean duty free area. Good place to go shopping for electronics, food, alcohol or car related stuff. It's also a place where some travellers buy a car (and then travel north), albeit with a smaller market then Santiago. We bought a few small things(=chocolate) and cleaned our super dirty car...which was even more dirty after a few days because of a muddy dirt road. That's life.///Punta Arenas is a big and modern city and also a home to the "zona franca", which mean duty free area. Good place to go shopping for electronics, food, alcohol or car related stuff. It's also a place where some travellers buy a car (and then travel north), albeit with a smaller market then Santiago. We bought a few small things(=chocolate) and cleaned our super dirty car...which was even more dirty after a few days because of a muddy dirt road. That's life.///Punta Arenas je moderné mesto, kde sa okrem iného nachádza aj “zona franca”, duty free zóna. Zoženiete tu lacnejšiu elektroniku, potraviny, alkohol aj autové veci. Niektorí cestovatelia si tu kúpili auto, avšak mali slabší výber ako v Santiagu. My sme si tu nakúpili pár drobností, nenašli sme veci, ktoré sme zháňali a nechali umyť Pabla, ktorý však pár dní na to bol ešte viac špinavý, keď sme prechádzali cez hranicu do Argentíny, kde zrovna pršalo a cesta nebola rozhodne asfaltová.]] [[There are a few places to visit in the city too, it has definitely some nice historic buildings. Because it's a port, it has seen a lot, the sailors, miners, sea seal hunters, but also shepherds and wool merchants, that got rich during the sheep craze. From this period of history, there's Sara Braun Palace on the main square. It was built for (unsurprisingly) Sara Braun, widow of the largest sheep breeder and a french architect. It took 9 years to build and most of the material was shipped directly from europe. It was being reconstructed for about 40 years and now you can see it in it's former glory - including beautiful marble fireplaces and crystal chandeliers. That is, if it's not closed like it was when we tried to visit it - so if were there, please send Janka a picture :)///There are a few places to visit in the city too, it has definitely some nice historic buildings. Because it's a port, it has seen a lot, the sailors, miners, sea seal hunters, but also shepherds and wool merchants, that got rich during the sheep craze. From this period of history, there's Sara Braun Palace on the main square. It was built for (unsurprisingly) Sara Braun, widow of the largest sheep breeder and a french architect. It took 9 years to build and most of the material was shipped directly from europe. It was being reconstructed for about 40 years and now you can see it in it's former glory - including beautiful marble fireplaces and crystal chandeliers. That is, if it's not closed like it was when we tried to visit it - so if were there, please send Janka a picture :)///There are a few places to visit in the city too, it has definitely some nice historic buildings. Because it's a port, it has seen a lot, the sailors, miners, sea seal hunters, but also shepherds and wool merchants, that got rich during the sheep craze. From this period of history, there's Sara Braun Palace on the main square. It was built for (unsurprisingly) Sara Braun, widow of the largest sheep breeder and a french architect. It took 9 years to build and most of the material was shipped directly from europe. It was being reconstructed for about 40 years and now you can see it in it's former glory - including beautiful marble fireplaces and crystal chandeliers. That is, if it's not closed like it was when we tried to visit it - so if were there, please send Janka a picture :)///V meste nájdete aj trošku histórie. Punta Arenas je prístavné mesto a zažilo si veľa, či už námorníkov, baníkov, lovcov tuleňov ale aj chovateľov oviec a obchodníkov s vlnou, ktorí tu zbohatli počas vlnového ošiaľu. Z tohto obdobia sa zachoval aj Palác Sary Braun, ktorý je na námestí. Bol postavený pre Saru Braun, vdovu najväčšieho chovateľa oviec a obchodníka s vlnou, francúzskym architektom. Jeho stavba trvala 9 rokov a väčšina materiálov bola dovozená priamo z Európy. 40 rokov ho rekonštruovali a dnes si ho môžete vychutnať v celej nádhere vrátane mramorovaných krbov a krištálových lustrov. My sme sa však dovnútra nedostali, bolo zatvorené, ale intenzívne som nakúkala dovnútra. Keď sa tam náhodou dostanete, pošlite mi aspoň foto.]]

  [[We heard that southern Chile is famous for it's food (contrary to the rest of Chile, which is mostly hot-dogs and burgers - sorry, but that was our impression), so we went to see the local market. Apart from every single type of fish in the observable universe, we found this nice small bistro with 50 years of tradition. We started with a nice pisco with el calafate fruit, Janka tried (for the first time in her life) real crab meat - no fake surimi cod  - and I tried some fish soup. First I wasn't particulary happy about it, mainly because I wasn't expecting the meal I ordered to be a soup - I ordered fish-something with rice and potatoes; also the taste was a bit bland, but after a few minutes the fish cooked in the near-boiling soup and it became awesome. In the end, Janka wanted to try again and I politely refused O:)///We heard that southern Chile is famous for it's food (contrary to the rest of Chile, which is mostly hot-dogs and burgers - sorry, but that was our impression), so we went to see the local market. Apart from every single type of fish in the observable universe, we found this nice small bistro with 50 years of tradition. We started with a nice pisco with el calafate fruit, Janka tried (for the first time in her life) real crab meat - no fake surimi cod  - and I tried some fish soup. First I wasn't particulary happy about it, mainly because I wasn't expecting the meal I ordered to be a soup - I ordered fish-something with rice and potatoes; also the taste was a bit bland, but after a few minutes the fish cooked in the near-boiling soup and it became awesome. In the end, Janka wanted to try again and I politely refused O:)///We heard that southern Chile is famous for it's food (contrary to the rest of Chile, which is mostly hot-dogs and burgers - sorry, but that was our impression), so we went to see the local market. Apart from every single type of fish in the observable universe, we found this nice small bistro with 50 years of tradition. We started with a nice pisco with el calafate fruit, Janka tried (for the first time in her life) real crab meat - no fake surimi cod  - and I tried some fish soup. First I wasn't particulary happy about it, mainly because I wasn't expecting the meal I ordered to be a soup - I ordered fish-something with rice and potatoes; also the taste was a bit bland, but after a few minutes the fish cooked in the near-boiling soup and it became awesome. In the end, Janka wanted to try again and I politely refused O:)///Na obed sme sa vybrali na mestský trh, kde sme narazili na bistro s 50 ročnou tradíciou a musíme uznať, že jedlo bolo vynikajúce. Na prípitok sme si dali pisco s el calafate ovocím, ja som si pochutnala prvýkrát v živote na pravom krabovi (žiadne surimi treska tyčinky ;), Ivan na rybacej polievke. Najprv z nej nebol nadšený, lebo v prvom rade neočakával polievku, keďže sa v menu písalo, že obsahuje ryžu a zemiaky (v polievke sme našli 2-3 malé kúsky) a na začiatku chuť nebola veľmi výrazná, avšak ako sa postupne rybka dlhšie varila v horúcej polievke, jej chuť sa začala viac a viac rozvíjať a nakoniec bol tak spokojný, že mi nechcel dať viac ochutnať.]]

[[Next - the way to the southernmost city in the world(one of the three), Ushuaia. Fin del Mundo.///Next - the way to the southernmost city in the world(one of the three), Ushuaia. Fin del Mundo.///Next - the way to the southernmost city in the world(one of the three), Ushuaia. Fin del Mundo.///Ďalšia zastávka - najjužnejšie mesto na svete - Ushuaia. Koniec sveta.]]

[twentyweddings]

Driving on the most dangerous road in the world, the (in)famous death road in Bolivia. Abour 400 deaths each year was a normal thing here, as the gravel road was in a horrible condition, most of the time with only one lane and with heavy traffic and ncluding buses and trucks. All that with steep drops of several hundred meters into the valley. Nowadays the yungas road is more of a tourist attraction for adventure cyclists. Dodging them was the more dangerous part here, but we managed to take this sorta-selfie :) Would you drive it? :) #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #deathroad #bolivia #yungas #dangerousroads #adrenalinejunkie #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlife #dnescestujem #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere (at Yungas Road)

[twentyweddings]

Loving it here on the northern coast of #Peru #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #zorritos #beach #ocean #sunset #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlife #dnescestujem #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere (at SwissWassi)

[twentyweddings]

One more from Laguna Wilcacocha. This spectacular view was right from our #rooftoptent - talk about motivation to get up :) #cordillerablanca #Peru #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #huaraz #mountains #homeiswhereyouparkit #vanlife #dnescestujem #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere (at Lake Wilcacocha)

[twentyweddings]

Lazy mornings. You know those, right? :) #imnotgettingup #rooftoptent #vanlife #cordillerablanca #Peru #weddingtravellers #overlanding #southamerica #travel #adventure #mountains #homeiswhereyouparkit #dnescestujem #inspire #wanderlust #travelpics #traveling #traveladdict #instatravel #exploremore #travelgram #travelpgotography #discover #beautifuldestinations #amazingplaces #ilovetravel #awesome #tourism #paradise #letsgoanywhere (at Laguna Puruhuay)