Hostel Tinktinkie

A moment in time!

2012-01-27T02:08:00.000-08:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A photo – no words – capturing any moment - A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment you want to pause, savour and remember.

“This Moment” is a ritual found on Life inspired by the Wee Man adopted from SouleMama which is an extension to Nelieta Travelling Adventures

This is our moment at Hostel Tinktinkie!

A moment in time!

2012-01-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

Andrey and his first friend in Argentina - Hugo!

A moment in time!

2012-01-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

Exploring Santa Rosa de Calamuchita by bicyle

2012-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Guests at Hostel Tinktinkie love to explore the area around the hostel by bicycle. There are so many opportunities for cycling and people enjoy to be out in nature.

Whether you decide to explore the are close to the river, some dirt roads or mountain paths, you will not be disappointed!

One of the families that we have at the hostel rented bicycles for today. They have a little one of 4 years and I was very surprised to see a bicycle seat mounted at the back of the bicycle. What a clever idea and now the whole family can enjoy the day.

The bicycles that we organize are of a very good quality, light weight and well maintained. The owner personally delivers the bicycles to Hostel Tinktinkie and make seat adjustments where necessary.

I took some photos as everyone got ready. It is so nice to see people having fun and laughing! Personally I think the little one had the best seat!

La Banda: Biggest Band in Cordoba to release CD on 5 January in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita

2011-12-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is starting,which means a lot of activities are plannned in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita. We at Hostel Tinktinkie are looking forward to all the events.

One of the events that are planned by the Santa Rosa de Calamuchita Municipality is taking place on 5 January 2012. One of the most popular music groups in Cordoba, La Banda, is releasing their new music CD. Music, sun and dancing! What a great way to start the new year!

Hostel Tinktinkie en Santa Rosa de Calamuchita has limited places available. Contact us for reservations.

Newsletter December 2011

2011-12-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Andrey and I are greeting you from a sunny Calamuchita Valley. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with love, peace and joy.

The year is winding down quickly and people are recovering from Christmas and now they are planning for New Year celebrations. Schools have closed in Argentina and we are looking forward to the holiday season. The children in Argentina have two months school holidays and many holiday makers come to the Cordoba Province to enjoy the mountains and Mediterranean climate.

This is a very important time of the year for us. We reflect over the past year, take stock and plan for the future. Talking about the future, we are proud to present that Hostel Tinktinkie will be joining forces with a group called Ho-La Hostels. What does this mean? Ho-La Hostel Group supports `Green Sleep`. We will be part of a group of Hostels around South America that strives to protect the environment and create ecological awareness. Travellers that belong to Ho-La Hostels will receive a 10% discount when they use our hostel and other Hol-La Hostels in South America. We are very excited about this new venture.

I will write more about it as soon as we receive the flyers, maps and signs. We are very excited to be part of this initiative.

We had a lot of events this past month. Three weeks ago I visited a Classic Car Rally. This was something to see! Vintage cars from all over the world participated in a rally that took them through three different valleys. The total race was 1600 kms. Triumphs, Corvette`s, Porches, Austin Healeys and many more exquisite cars were gracing our roads. It was a treat to watch the classic car fanatics!

View the album of Classic Cars here

Bikers from all over Argentina gathered in our Valley 2 weekends ago to celebrate Motofest 2011. It was a long weekend in Argentina and bikers roared up and down the roads with Harley`s, Bmw`s,Cruisers and Choppers. I went there on Saturday and my tongue was almost hanging on the ground as I admired the bikes. People enjoyed the event and I am sure we will be hosting it again next year.

View album of Bikes here

YouTube video of the Motofest!

January is a jam-packed month full of events to entertain the children and holiday makers. We will squeeze in some time to visit some of the events and I will write about it in the next Newsletter. In February a very exciting event is taking place: Rio Carnival.

Most of you have heard about the Rio Carnival. Well, Argentinians who dress up and participate in the event come back from Brazil to entertain us here. The costumes are vibrant and colourful and we get a sneak peak of what the original carnival looks like.

Andrey and I are wishing you all a Happy New Year!

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman

A Moment in Time -Hostel Tinktinkie-Santa Rosa de Calamuchita.

2011-12-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Hostel Tinktinkie en Santa Rosa de Calamuchita

Christmas wishes from Hostel Tinktinkie!

2011-12-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hostel Tinktinkie would like to wish all our Customers, Friends and Family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We love this time of year because it reminds us of all the things we are thankful for. In this spirit, we would like to thank YOU, our customers, who make Hostel Tinktinkie what it is today. Our joy and success comes from you and we are so very grateful.

We wish you all the happiness this holiday season brings and warm wishes for a New Year filled with love, joy and prosperity. Thank you for being a part of our family.

Merry Christmas!

Feliz Navidad y prospero Año nuevo a todos nuestros visitantes,Amigos y familia!

A Moment in Time!

2011-12-09T02:36:00.000-08:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Hostel Tinktinkie en Santa Rosa de Calamuchita

A Moment in Time!

2011-12-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

A Logo for Hostel Tinktinkie!

2011-11-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had to quickly design a logo for the Hostel Tinktinkie. I came up with this one. This is a more modern version for an advertising banner.

Hostel Tinktinkie en Santa Rosa de Calamuchita

Newsletter November 2011

2011-11-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope that you are all doing well! It`s been a while since our August Newsletter and now we are starting to count the days down to the Festive Season. This year is coming to an end!

September was a crazy and busy month for us. We had to prepare for the Oktoberfest and do some annual maintenance. During the year the rooms stay more or less the same but for the Oktoberfest we convert all the private rooms to shared rooms. This gives us flexibility to cater for bigger groups. Andrey and I are quite a sight when we carry the beds and mattresses down from the top!

Converting the rooms (Click on the link)

Andrey also put up window shutters in front of one the rooms. Not only do window shutters keep the rooms cool during the hot summer months but it also provides additional security. I have grown accustomed to the window shutters in Argentina. It is not an easy task to have it fitted but once it is done, it looks beautiful.

Putting up the Window Shutters (Click on the Link)

The Oktoberfest this year went very well. The event took place from 30 September to 12 October and each year it is getting bigger. The Oktoberfest in Argentina is the 3rd biggest Beer event in the world! The most popular weekend is the second weekend and we were quickly fully booked.

The first weekend was more difficult to market and sell, mainly because it is not a long weekend and people only come through for the day. Mercedes and Marco joined us and we always value return visits.

Merce and Nelieta

I felt so sorry for the guys who arrived the second weekend. We had several storms and airports were closed including the one in Córdoba. Three guys were stranded and only arrived here in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

The group from France, Ireland and Argentina

A group of friends from Buenos Aires

They were exhausted and had to eventually take a bus to get to the Beer Festival because they couldn`t fly. Weather cleared up on the Saturday and the groups had an amazing time, inlcuding lunch underneath a tree. We had people here from Australia, Ireland, France, Wales and locals. What made it even more fun was the fact that most of the visitors were huge Rugby fans and we managed to watch some Rugby matches together.

A very happy Dave supporting Australia

Earlier in the week I went to the Beer festival to take some photos of the event which included dances and musical performances. We never attend the festival due to commitments at the hostel but we do manage to go during the week and get a taste for what is coming.

Traditional German dances

Typical German food

Beautiful Beer Mugs for sale

Coinciding with the Oktoberfest was our Hostel Birthday! Hostel Tinktinkie turned two! We also want to take the opportunity to thank all our friends, family and visitors for their support over the last two years.

Hostel Tinktinkie turns 2! (Click on the link)

We have come a long way and we still need to do a lot but in time we will get there! A BIG thank you!

Muchas gracias a todos nuestros visitantes! A big thank you to all our visitors!

I was fortunate to have friends visiting from South Africa and together we took a trip to one of the most beautiful places in Argentina: The Lake District. We rented a car and drove almost 4,000 kilometres for that week. It is very difficult to describe the beauty of this area but imagine turquoise coloured lakes and snow tipped mountains!

Villa La Angostura (Click on the photo to enlarge)

San Carlos de Bariloche (Click on the photo to enlarge)

Unfortunately the volcano in Chile erupted again and played havoc in the already ash-covered Villa La Angostura area. We still had an amazing time and the ashes made it even more special. Not many people have seen volcanic ashes before and it was also a first for us!

Andrey touching the volcanic ashes

We also want to thank the owners of Hostel Don Pilon for their hospitality.

Last weekend our town hosted another gaucho or cowboy festival called the `Fiesta Nacional de la Tradición`. It was very interesting and I saw how the hoofed a horse, milked a goat, made wool and shaved a sheep. Andrey took some photos of different activities which included racing and I went the following day to see more than 250 gauchos and their horses riding into town. It was really incredible to see!

Gauchos getting ready to ride into town.

A young boy demonstrating how comfortable the bed is that a gaucho can m

Milking a goat

On the 26th and 27th a 4x4 event will be taking place here and I am sure we will be heading down to there to take photos and to share it with you. In the beginning of December we have another Ralley passing through Santa Rosa de Calamuchita and also a Biker`s event with Bikers from all over Argentina. They love the mountain curves here in the Calamuchita Valley.

We will be sending out the last Newsletter for this year next month. If you do go on holiday early in December we would like to wish you a safe and blessed holiday! Have fun, enjoy every moment with your family, rest and return safely in the New Year!

A big hug!
Andrey & Nelieta

The rain is here!

2011-11-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

The days have been incredibly hot lately with temperatures peaking at 38 degrees. The past two years the Córdoba Province has been really dry with not enough rain. Here in the Calamuchita Valley we often have thunder storms and this Spring is no exception.

People often ask us if the rain storms are normal. I am not sure if it is normal but I have noticed in the last 4 years that sudden and intense storms are quite normal for the valley. It goes along with a quick and sudden change in the clouds,wind starts to blow and the sky turns a dark grey. It can be quite scary at times.

We quickly run and close all windows and make the animals comfortable. Luckily Ru and Maxie are not scared of the storms but they don`t like it.

Then within minutes buckets and buckets of rain seems to pour down from the heavens. This often goes along with thunder and it makes me miss South Africa. It is incredible to see all the water that forms dams in a couple of minutes. This normally lasts for about 20 minutes and then the sky pulls open again. Sometimes the rain will continue into the night but only a soft rain that wets and nourishes the earth. This kind of rain I love.

I always go outside after it had rained and smell the fresh, clean air - how everything have been washed clean. How wonderful is the rain! We still need a lot!

Hostel Tinktinkie Santa Rosa de Calamuchita: This Moment!

2011-10-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Hostel Tinktinkie Santa Rosa de Calamuchita: This Moment!

2011-10-07T03:05:00.000-07:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Oktoberfest Villa General Belgrano: What to wear?

2011-10-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here at Hostel Tinktinkie, we always tell our customers that dressing up for the Oktoberfest in Villa General Belgrano is a must! By dressing up I don´t mean you have to rent clothes but there are three items that you need, to complete your outfit.

1. A Chop or beer mug!

There are many different ones for sale: ceramic-,wooden and metal chops. The ceramic chops are beautiful and come in a variety of colours. From experience we have learnt that the metal and wooden chops work better. The metal chops keep the beer cold and they don´t break easily.

Many people buy the ceramic mugs but after a couple of toasts the chop is in pieces. We have a souvenir in our kitchen.

2. A feathered hat or gorra!

The hats are adorable and come in many different colours. They add a touch of colour to any outfit. I really like the feathered hats and it makes me smile when I walk in the street and see the feathers waving in the wind. All the hats have been handmade and it is a great way to support the local community.

3. Beer clip or cinta

This is an essential and practical item for the Oktoberfest. You can clip your chop to this belt and you have your hands free. Let´s call it a hands-free-kit!

Tomorrow our first groups are arriving for the Oktoberfest and then we will be explaining the process. It is great to see the excitement and people are always looking forward to buy their chops, gorros and cintas!

Hostel Tinktinkie turns 2!

2011-10-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

Today Hostel Tinktinkie is turning TWO! It is a wonderful day for us and we would like to thank all our Visitors, friends and family for their support and friendship over the last two years!

Hoy Hostel Tinktinkie cumple 2 años! Muchas gracias a nuestros visitantes, amigos y familiares por su apoyo durante los últimos dos años! Un abrazo gigante!!

Hostel Tinktinkie vier vandag sy 2de verjaarsdag! Ons wil graag al ons besoekers, vriende en familie bedank vir julle ondersteuning en vriendskap oor die laaste 2 jaar!

Хостел Tinktinkie сегодня празднует своё 2х летие! Мы хотели бы поблагодарить всех наших родных и близких, наших уважаемых гостей и друзей за поддержку и дружбу в течение этих двух лет!

Andrey, Nelieta, Ru and Maxie!

This Moment!

2011-09-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Converting the private room into a 4 bed dorm

2011-09-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

The countdown has started - 3 days to the Oktoberfest! Today we had the big task to convert the one private room into a four-bed dorm. Easier said than done!

Our furniture are not all the same colour so first of all we have to make sure that everything matches. The first batch were made by one person and the second batch by another. The style and colours are slightly different and nobody would really notice, but we do!

We use bunk-beds or ´cuchetas´ for the rooms. Bunk-beds give you a little extra space and is very convenient for a small family in the private room..

After a lot of manoeuvring and anxious looks, not to bump the plaster of the walls, we managed to carry the one ´cucheta´ outside.

The conversation was quite funny and went something like this:

Andrey: "Turn left, no your other left, my right!"

Nelieta: "I am turning, don´t walk so fast!"

Andrey: "Quickly, I don´t have all day!"

Nelieta: "I´m tired, I want to go back to my Blog!"

Luckily we have designed the beds in such a way that assembling is fairly easy. Personally I think assembling beds is a perfect way to relieve stress. Take a hammer and hit as hard as you can...the bed I mean. Who-la!

One of the bunk-beds carried out and ready to be assembled in the 4 bed dorm.

This will be the first time that we convert this room into a dorm. Normally we keep it for an extra private room. The room is spacious and has it´s own private bathroom and a place to make tea or coffee.I like it.

I have chosen bright green duvets for this room. I love the colour and it immediately brightens up the place.

The 4 bed dorm for the Oktoberfest 2011!

The last finishing touches and the room is ready for Friday! I hope our guests like it as much as I do!

Putting up the window shutters

2011-09-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

“Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.” - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

We are counting down the days to the Oktoberfest! Four days to go! Oktoberfest = Maintenance. We have so many things to do and the list doesn´t seem to get any shorter.

Andrey always has the difficult work. He needs to fix things and I have the easy job: finding work for him. A good example will be the window shutters.

I think women tend to simply things. I look at the window shutters and see the final product. Beautiful, wooden window shutters blocking out the sun. It shouldn´t be too difficult. Cement them into the wall, tweak a little here and a little there and the job is done. But unfortunately it doesn´t work that way. That I have learnt from experience. What looks like a one day job, turns out to be a lot longer.

Andrey inspecting the window shutters

There are always complications and the job takes up more time than expected. The window shutters were no different. Andrey managed to finish the work today. It was a big job with a lot of drilling, cement and tweaking. It is done!

A couple of finishing touches and then it is done!

Ru, our dog, was keeping an eye on Andrey but eventually gave up and went back to sleep.

Ru our Hostel Dog, friend and supervisor

Unfortunately for Andrey there are four windows more...but that can wait until later!

Well done Andrey!

This Moment!

2011-09-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Santa Rosa de Calamuchita: Spring Day in Argentina! Día de la primavera!

2011-09-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Flowers that I photographed in La Cumbrecita earlier this year.

21 September is Spring Day in Argentina!

Over the last couple of weeks I have started to notice how the trees turn green and the marshmallow-pink buds are blooming.

Spring is such a wonderful time of the year and one of my favourite seasons. The days are not too hot and the nights not too cold.

This winter was a dry one with very little snow on the mountains. What we need now is for the rain to wash away all the dryness. Every year I look in amazement how the first rain transforms everything into a green oasis.

A Blogger friend Corinne, has shared this beautiful Spring Video with me on Facebook today and it is so appropriate. I am attaching it here to celebrate spring day!

Feliz día de la primavera, Amigos!!!

A storm underway!

2011-09-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I took my daily walk and the weather was perfect! Clouds were forming in the sky and I was looking forward to smell the rain! I love that smell!

Spring is not officially here until the 21st of September but the trees have already started to turn green. But we need rain to wash away all the dust and traces of winter.

About an hour later the weather changed dramatically. The wind picked up and the sky turned an orange colour. We prepared for a massive storm. The wind kept howling all night but not a single drop of rain!

A lot of huffing and puffing and eventually it just stop...maybe it got tired!

How unpredictable can weather be?

This Moment!

2011-09-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Hostel Tinktinkie - Santa Rosa de Calamuchita - Córdoba -Argentina

2011-09-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hostel Tinktinkie opened in 2009, just in time for the annual Oktoberfest. Our hostel is situated in the beautiful Calamuchita Valley which is a very important tourist destination. People from all over Argentina love to come here for holiday or for a weekend. The Santa Rosa river, mountains and lake add to the attraction.

Andrey and I did not want to open a hostel in the big city. There is too much stress and no nature to enjoy. Hostel Tinktinkie is not in the town centre of Santa Rosa de Calamuchita. We are +- 2.5 kms from the city centre but close to the main road where buses stop. The Santa Rosa river (Rió Santa Rosa) is 300m from the hostel and close to a balneario or beach that ahs recently opened there. Visitors love it there and would often relax with their chairs inside the river. We love to go there in the evening to cool down.

River 300m from Hostel Tinktinkie

Our hostel offers many opportunities for hikers, bikers and nature lovers. The local tourist office and Turismo de Córdoba do a lot to promote tourism in this part of the country. Working with tourist we have noticed that many people go to Buenos Aires, Iguazu, Perito Moreno, Mendoza and Salta and Jujuy. What we have been doing at Hostel Tinktinkie is to give travellers a taste of the Córdoba Province. Many travellers like to go off the beaten track and to visit places that other travellers have not heard of.

Hostel Tinktinkie is 12 kms from Villa General Belgrano, 12 kms from Villa del Dique, 25 kms from La Cumbrecita, 10 kms from Villa Rumipal, 70 kms from Alta Gracia and 80 kms from Córdoba city. We are also en-route to Buenos Aires, San Luis, Mendoza and Rio Cuarto.

All our rooms are spacious, modern and have been prepared with a lot of love and care. We have three rooms with individual entrances. We decided to built it like this to offer more privacy to our guests. Each room has it´s own bathroom and a small table where you could work. We have Wi-Fi, free Internet and tea and coffee is included in the price.

Private room with 1 bunk-bed and TV/DVD

6 Bedroom dorm with private bathroom

The furniture in our hostel have been made by local people. We are a green hostel and take great pride in the nature that surrounds our hostel. We don´t flush toilet paper and we recycle glass and plastic.

Andrey is a master chef and love to prepare cuisine from Russia, Asia, Argentina and even South Africa for our guests. One of the things we love to do is to have a meal with our guests. We don´t charge exorbitant prices like many other hostels. We enjoy the company more than making money from the food that we prepare.

Hostel Tinktinkie recently received an endorsement from TripAdvisor, which we are very proud of. We also joined forces with the Tourist Office in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita and Argentina Turismo to further promote tourism. We also work with Hostelworld and HostelBookers.

If you are travelling to Argentina and would like to come and meet us please send me an email or visit our website:

nelieta@tinktinkie.com
Hostel Tinktinkie Web

This is what some of our guests had to say about us:

Excelente muchachos! Gracias por los días hermosos. Esperamos volver alguna vez =)Emilia

Estuvimos ahí el noviembre por la cercanía que tiene con Villa General Belgrano ya que queríamos ir al Oktoberfest pero no estar constantemente con mucha gente, como suele suceder con esta fiesta.
El hostel nos sorprendió positivamente, sus dueños (Nelieta y Andrey) son realmente muy amables y se preocupan porque uno siempre esté bien y no le falte nada.
Lo recomiendo para descansar y estar tranquilo, en un hermoso lugar en las afueras de Calamuchita. También por la relación calidad-precio. -Laura

Si realmente quieren escapar del ruido y del caos de las ciudades grandes, relajarse y disfrutar silencio y tranquilidad, si quieren descansar lejos de centros urbanos, de multitud en la playa, entonces el Tinktinkie es para Ustedes.

300 metros del Rio Santa Rosa, 2,5 km del centro de Santa Rosa de Calamuchita – importante centro turístico con restaurantes y boliches. 8 km del lago Embalse del Rio Tercero.

Todo para pasar vacaciones o fin de semana en un lugar hermoso, con la vista de las sierras chicas y grandes. Muchas opciones para hiking, tracking, ciclismo, montañismo. 12 km del Villa General Belgrano.

Habitaciones con baño privado, cocina-comedor totalmente equipada, TV-DVD, Internet y Wi-Fi.

El precio incluye desyauno!!!

This Moment!

2011-09-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A photo – no words – capturing any moment from the day or week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment you want to pause, savour and remember.

“This Moment” is a ritual found on Life inspired by the Wee Man adopted from SouleMama which is an extension to Nelieta Travelling Adventures.

This is my moment!

If you have a Moment please share your link in the comments section and I will pop in to have a look .. Ciao!

Newsletter August 2011

2011-08-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Andrey and I are greeting you from a windy Argentina! We hope you are all doing well. August is an important month for us. We are officially 3 years in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita! I cannot believe how quickly time is flying and how much we have accomplished over the last 3 years. Many days I have to pinch myself because it still feels so unreal.

The one thing I have noticed over the last 3 years is how much the weather have changed. We experienced a lot of rain, drought, fires, wind, snow, tornadoes and heat waves over the years. This winter was also different compared to last year. Some days have been exceptionally cold with snow the one day and then out of the blue warm sunny days!

Recent snow on the mountains

I really came to appreciate the nature that surrounds us. Previously I would kill any moving insect but now I realize each one plays an important part in the Eco-system. Every year we have the ladybugs who move into the house. They group together in corners and change colour. In Spring they wake up and fly away in search of food. I love these little fellows and look forward to their return every year.

I get terribly upset with people who stop in front of our land and cut down trees because they don´t want to buy firewood. Some people have no respect for nature and after a recent incident I joined a "Green peace" group to try and protect what we have here. I don´t think I will be able to change the mindset but I might be able to create an awareness. It is difficult when people tell you: "I have been born here and it is my right to cut down a tree".

People cutting off trees in front of the hostel

Andrey and I are busy to promote the annual Oktoberfest and will start preparing the rooms towards the middle of September. It means a lot of maintenance and beds that need to be carried down from the second floor. Despite the hard work and preparations we always look forward to the Oktoberfest!

Last month I offered to house sit 2 puppies, 1 mom and 2 cats for fellow South Africans in Alta Gracia. It was a quiet time for us and I was looking forward to get a couple of days away from my normal routine. But Murphy was doing the rounds and just before I left we got reservations from an Argentinian couple and 2 British girls. Andrey´s English is pretty good but he battles with the Canadian, British and Australian English. In the end he didn´t do too bad and I spent some time exploring museums and life in Alta Gracia.

If you are interested to read more about the places that I have visited in Alta Gracia, please click on the link to see photos and to read my blog:

La Gruta
Museo Maneul de Falla
The Clock Tower (El reloj del torre)

Maggie and Ico

In a previous Newsletter I mentioned Martin who travelled South America with a motorbike. Due to unforeseen circumstances he cut his trip short and decided to go back to Germany. We were very happy that he stopped here for a couple of days. We helped him to book a flight and arranged for accommodation close to the airport. What a complicated process to get a motorbike on an aeroplane. But it was also very interesting for me and hopefully I can help other travellers in the future. Martin landed safely in Nuremberg and is happy to be home.

Martin packing and getting ready to leave for Germany

We also had our first people from Spain here - Marc and Marta. Lovely people who enjoyed cooking and made wonderful company. Mariano from Cordoba joined us for a couple of days and it is great to have return visitors at Tinktinkie. Last weekend we had Miguel here from Rosario. I nearly fainted when I saw all the handmade shoes that he was selling. He told us that it takes 4 days to make a pair of shoes. If you want to see what the shoes look like follow the link! You might faint too!

Marc and Marta from Spain

Rachel and Nauka from England

Maxie our adopted cat left for a month and came back just before I left for Alta Gracia. He has made himself so comfortable you would think he was born here! Ru and Maxie get along just fine and it is incredible to see a dog and cat play without hurting each other.

Ru and Maxie

We are also proud to announce that we have received a sticker from Tripadvisor endorsing our hostel. TripAadvisor is a very important Internet site for travellers. We have received good reviews from our customers and TripAdvisor gave us their stamp of approval! What makes this very special is the fact that customers have to type a review and then email it. We all know that people will sit down to type a letter of complaint but not always type a letter of praise. A Big thank you to our customers!

I will not be sending out another Newsletter until the end of October or middle November. Wish us well for the Oktoberfest!

God Bless.

Andrey & Nelieta

Santa Rosa de Calamuchita: The Waterfall (La Cascada)

2011-08-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

One of the places that we recommend to visit in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita is the waterfall. It is an easy hike which could take anything from 50 minutes to an hour. There are two hiking routes which are clearly marked. Both of them lead to the waterfall but vary in difficulty.

This hike can be enjoyed by the whole family and we have had people here at the Hostel who took a 2 year old with them. Obviously the hike will take longer and you will have to carry the little one in some places.

There are seats available right in front of the waterfall to enjoy the view. Trees provide nice shade and this hike can also be enjoyed on a hot day.

The waterfall does not have a lot of water during winter and a low rain season. But it is never completely dry and you will still be able to enjoy the hike. My favourite time of the year to hike there is during the summer months when everything is green!

Entrance to the waterfall can be a little tricky. You will find a sign (Restaurante Águila) in Ruta 5 close to the Petrobras station. Right at the top of the road is a restaurant where you can park your car or bicycle. Climb through the fence (It is fenced off for the cows) and start your walk. Entrance is normally free but during the high season an entrance fee of 2 pesos are charged.

En medio de las Sierras Grandes frente a Santa Rosa de Calamuchita podemos disfrutar de un salto de agua de una arroyo en medio de la Quebrada.

Para acceder a ella debemos ir por la Ruta nº 5 y pasar unos 100 mts la estación de servicios Petrobras (en sentido norte - sur) y a mano izquierda veremos un cartel que indica Restaurant "El Águila".

Tomamos ese camino y a unos 1000 mts encontraremos un playón de estacionamiento. Desde allí comienza el recorrido a píe de unos 50 min. aprox.

Hostel Tinktinkie en Santa Rosa de Calamuchita

A strange noise from the chimney

2011-06-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

One morning we heard a noise coming from the chimney on the second floor. It was a strange hissing sound and I immediately knew there was something stuck inside the chimney. We were still building so it could have been anything. It couldn´t have been Santa because it was way too early for him to make an appearance!

Andrey wanted to put his head inside to see what it was but I didn´t think it was a good idea. Maybe it was a snake or a three eyed monster. He took my advice and opted for a mirror to have a better look. It was too dark and he couldn´t see anything.Then we took a stick and gently felt our way up the chimney. But the hissing sound just became louder and more angrier. We backed off.

I came up with the plan to make a small fire, not to roast the poor thing, but to smoke it out. Nothing!

We gave up. After a while we went back upstairs and then I saw it! Standing on the floor was a baby owl! It had the most beautiful, big eyes and he puffed his feathers and screeched at us as we got close.

We decided to catch it, put it in a box and set it free. But that was easier said than done. He was huffing and puffing and had us jumping all over the place. He had no intention of climbing into the box. We also didn´t want to upset him too much. He is after all a wild animal.

Eventually Andrey got close enough and gently let him into the box. He was the most adorable thing but they belong in nature. We set him free.

Immediately he flew away and sat on a pole looking at us. Almost like he was saying thank you.

We often see him here at the Hostel. He hasn´t grown much bigger - our little owl in the chimney!

Newsletter June 2011

2011-06-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Dear,Family and Friends,

Andrey and I are greeting you from a very cold Argentina!Last night we made our first fire in the fireplace and it was wonderful to hear the sound of the wood as it was burning. I love the smell too! I don´t like many things about the winter but this I do like. To cuddle up next to the fire and to feel the warmth on my skin. We still have a long way to go and spring will only be here on 21 September!

When I wrote to you last month I was worried that I will be running out of news. To my surprise it was an action packed month and I have too much to tell you! Our town hosted a couple of exciting events like the Argentina Ralley 2011, a traditional Cowboy show, I celebrated my birthday and we had a couple of interesting people at the Hostel! On a sadder note we had a small gas explosion in the geyser but luckily without major damage.

Let me tell you more about that. The man who installed our gas geyser did a terrible job. The pipe he used was too small and the angle was wrong. For 2 years we have battled with a geyser that keeps on cutting out when it is warm. Poor Andrey had to sit in front of the geyser many a night to manually operate it. It was just my luck that one morning when I switched it on,an explosion occurred inside the geyser. It could have been condensation or dirt in the pipe but nevertheless the explosion was so powerful that it blew the pipe out of the geyser and some papers on the notice board.

I was in such a shock that I couldn´t remember Andrey´s telephone number. He left for town a couple of minutes before this unfortunate incident. Luckily I didn´t get injured and we had no major damage to the geyser. Andrey had to buy a bigger pipe and make a huge hole in the wall. Now the geyser is working like a dream and we have permanent hot water.

Lovers of fast cars would have loved the Ralley Argentina! People came from everywhere to support the event. There were no South Africans in the race but two Russian cars. One car had a female driver. I wrote a blog about it so you are welcome to read all about it. Rally Argentina 2011

Last Monday Argentinians celebrated "Day of the flag". This is a very important celebration and when I have heard that our town will be hosting a show where the gauchos or Argentinian cowboys will be performing, I knew I was not going to miss this one. I have never seen the cowboys in action and this was a great opportunity. The Cowboys of Argentina!

Thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes! I had a lovely day with a very nice braai and a delicious piece of meringue cake! We also watched the rugby! Yes we do follow the Super 15 here in Argentina. We watch it on the Internet. Poor Andrey didn´t have much of a choice who to support. I bought him a Sharks hat when he was in South Africa and he has been a loyal supporter ever since. I will be holding thumbs for my team - The Stormers!!!!

I am saying goodbye with a funny Russian music video that was sent to us by a German friend, Thomas. Enjoy!

A big hug from Santa Rosa de Calamuchita.

Andrey & Nelieta

Rally Argentina 2011 in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita

2011-05-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

The Rally Argentina has been hosted in the Cordoba province since 1984. Contestants love the narrow gravel roads with the occasional water-splashes. The Rally Argentina is an Argentine rally competition that has been both a round of the World Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

This year more than 71 contestants from all over the world entered the competition. Normally the rally starts in Villa Carlos Paz and then take the people through the Calamuchita Valley. The route this year included both paved and dirt roads which makes the competition so much more interesting.

The other big news was that this year a new category of cars, The World Rally Cars. These cars have 1600 turbo engines. Which ones are we talking about? The Citroën WRC DS3 and Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

So how was our Hostel involved in the Rally? All the action happened 700m from the hostel and people needed a place to sleep.

This was the first year that we watched the Rally. I must admit I am not normally the kind of person that get very excited before the time. Yes the Rally was passing here but first priority off-course was our guests. If there was time left to watch the Rally then all good and well. Luckily I had an opportunity to go there for a couple of hours in the morning and Andrey later in the afternoon when they returned on the same road.

I could immediately see that a lot of things were happening in the main road. People were selling souvenirs, food and making their way up the hill. I had no idea where the best place would be to take photos. So I decided to follow the group in front of me and see where the road was taking me.

It was already packed and the cars were not expected for the next hour or more. People were in good spirits and I found a spot which I thought looked good. But quickly more and more people were arriving almost pushing me out of the way to get a better look. I stood my ground, determined to get a good shot of the cars as they came around the corner.

The crowds were very entertaining and I enjoyed the humour even more now that I am able to speak Spanish. Where the crowds lacked in entertainment the film crew made up for it. Two Chinese photographers came walking up the hill towards us. They were carrying a lot of cameras.

One man in particular was very funny. He was also looking for a good spot to set-up his camera. It was obvious that he battled to find a good place and started to pace the road. It was not long or a dog from without nowhere started to follow him. People were getting anxious because cars were approaching but he thought they wanted him to take a photo of them! Which he did!

The dog was also a concern and some bystanders threw a delicious piece of barbecued meat at him to get him out of the way. Then they shouted at the photographer to get out of the way because the cars were coming.I don´t think the poor man understood a word of Spanish!

The first car came around the corner like a roar of thunder and left us all in a cloud of dust. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I liked this! People were cheering and clapping.

I stood there eating dust and small rocks for a little while and then decided to find a better place. The dust is not good for my camera and I don´t like the taste. As I made my way down the hill I couldn´t help to think in what a beautiful place we are living.

I had to slowly make my way through the crowds. There were a lot of people. I walked back almost to the entrance and then all of a sudden I saw an ideal place to take photos. It was the pit-stop and the drivers got out of their cars to change wheels or whatever they had to do. I love photographing people so I couldn´t have been in a better place! I was not disappointed.

The contestants were also having fun. A quick word with the other drivers, smiles, jokes and then they were on their way. I really liked this place where I was standing.

The cars started to come in one after another now and my camera couldn´t stop clicking. I was moving away from the pit stop and was now heading back to the entrance of Portezuelo.

Cars were roaring past me. I wanted to stay longer but it was time to go home. I was covered in dust but I didn´t mind. I had a great day!

Newsletter May 2011

2011-05-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

Greetings from a cold Santa Rosa de Calamuchita! Andrey and I hope that you are doing well. Things are starting to wind down now that winter is approaching so news will be a little scarce.

Martin from Nuremberg, Germany arrived here for a couple of days in April. He ended up staying for more than a month! Martin decided to take some time off and tour South America on a motorbike for a year. He came with a cargo ship from Hamburg to Buenos Aires. Martin saw our Hostel on the internet and liked the idea of spending time, recuperating, in the countryside. Unfortunately he made the mistake, like many travellers, to go to Santa Rosa La Pampa first, instead of Santa Rosa de Calmuchita in Cordoba.

He is currently in Bolivia and will be seeing countries like Colombia,Peru, Brazil, the Amazon jungle, Chile and more. Martin has promised to come here next year April before he heads back to Germany.

With Martin here we used the opportunity to explore some towns nearby. In our line of business it is important to be up to date with museums and places to visit. Luckily the towns are close by so we can easily hop on a bus or the scooter and embark on an adventure. On one such a day we took a trip to Embalse were we´ve discovered a very interesting museum. We visited the Embalse Power plant, where our electricity is coming from and walked close to the lake.

Entrance to the Municipal Museum in Embalse

The museum is telling the history of Emblase

Walking at the Lake in Embalse

We also visited our friends Hendrik and Laura in Alta Gracia. We had an amazing day and they are wonderful hosts. While we were in Alta Gracia, we paid a visit to the Che Museum. It was my second visit and a first for Andrey. I love this museum!

Our friends Hendrik and Laura with Andrey

Che´s motorbike which had been used in the movie "The Motorcycle diaries"

Grant and Martin arrived here for a weekend. They are both from the United States. Martin is studying for a pilot in Cordoba and Grant is working as a teacher in Rio Cuarto. Martin will go back to the States in November and Grant in July.

This coming weekend our town is hosting the annual Rally Argentina. It is not as huge as the Dakar but it passes 700m from Hostel Tinktinkie which is very exciting. We are looking forward to have a return visitor here this weekend.

A couple of nights ago a little cat walked into the kitchen when we opened the door. He is such a gorgeous little thing. We gave him some food and shelter and she quickly crawled into my heart. The problem with a stray cat is that you never know whether they will be staying or not.

Maxie!

We should be seeing snow soon on the mountains. That means cold…brrrr! I am not looking forward to that but it is Andrey´s favourite time of the year.

I am looking forward to be chatting to you all again next month!

God bless and wrap up warm.

Andrey & Nelieta

Places to visit: Villa Cuidad Parque

2011-05-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

I love discovering new places in and around Santa Rosa de Calamuchita. The nice thing about our beautiful valley is that there is so much to see and you don´t even have to drive far! So off with the scooter I went to explore a little town called Villa Ciudad Parque.

I have never been to this town but have driven past it many times on my way to Cordoba city. The entrance to the town boasts an impressive arch. In the front is a little tourist office with very friendly people who offered me a map and information about places to visit.

When I turned into the main street I was expecting to see the town centre immediately. But I was pleasantly surprised to be driving for almost a kilometre before I saw something that resembled a town. I was driving down a double road and it felt like I was driving through a forest. The trees were beautiful and high and little sunlight came through. I loved the smell of the trees.

I got to a very nice park where children could play and where you can sit and relax. There was a little kiosk (A Spanish word for a little shop where you can buy beverages) and it almost looked like a bus stop. A crafter was displaying her goods but she was closing for siesta so I didn´t want to disturb her.

I continued for another 500m when I finally came to the end of the road. I was pleasantly surprised. The road led to the river and here I could see some activity. It did not resemble a town at all but there was some restaurants and people were hanging around. I loved the atmosphere. The river is the same river that is flowing past our hostel but it seemed to be wider this part. I crossed the bridge where I met other visitors taking photos.

The weather here is getting cold and it is not the best time to enjoy the river. But I can see that in summer time this place must be very busy. There are places to have a barbecue or picnic and the view is awesome. Now leaves were lying everywhere and the place had a definite autumn feel to it. I walked around for a little while, took some photos and sat down on a rock next to the river. The view was beautiful but so again so is the whole Calamuchita Valley.

I took a last look at the river and then it was time to go home.

Ivan and his Didgeridoo

2011-04-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

Ivan arrived here with a very strange looking pipe. I was not sure if you smoke from the pipe or what exactly you do with it. I thought to myself that smoking could not be a possibility because it was too big. It must have another purpose. But I was so busy and I didn´t get an opportunity to talk to him about it.

The next morning I saw Ivan sitting on a big rock in the corner of the yard and I got the distinct impression that he did not want to be disturbed. He had his eyes closed and was meditating. I tip toed not to make a noise and then suddenly a deep and haunting sound came from the pipe. It was a musical instrument! The sound lasted for a very long time and I stood there frozen, listening and admiring it.

Later after breakfast I asked him what the name was and where it came from. It is called a Didgeridoo. I have never heard the word before and didn´t even know how to spell it! Luckily I was not the only one!

So what is a Didgeridoo?

The Didgeridoo is believed to be the worlds oldest wind instrument. It dates back thousands of years and originated as a musical instrument of the North Australian Aborigine. Ivan however did not get his instrument from Australia but from Indonesia.

Traditionally it is made from one of many species of Eucalyptus branches or saplings. Even though there are hundreds of species, only about 12 are used for Didgeridoo making. The Eucalyptus is naturally hollowed out by millions of termites. It takes at least a year for the termites to hollow a tree out. Harvesting has to be timed so that the wall thickness of the instrument is not too thin or not too thick. It has to be "just right". Making for the perfect instrument!

The thickness and shape will determine which key the instrument will be in. Shorter lengths have higher pitches and longer lengths have lower pitches. Didgeridoos generally range in keys from a high "G" to a low "A". A common "C" didgeridoo will be two steps below middle "C" of a piano. The keys of C and D are the easiest keys to learn how to play on the didgeridoo.

The bark is stripped from the outside and the termites removed and a rim of beeswax applied to reduce the diameter of the large opening. Wax also creates a good airtight seal for the mouth and makes it more comfortable to play. The instrument is now ready to be decorated with ochre paintings that symbolize a tribes food and/or totems.

Before Ivan,Jose and Javier left we asked him to pose for a couple of photos. He took positioning on the rock and started to play. It is not an easy instrument to play.You blow down the tube with loose lips creating a vibration that echoes down the tube coming out amplified as a drone.It is very important to stay relaxed because if you try too hard it will tighten your muscles which contradicts the need to create loose lips. Buzz your lips while gently pushing air down the tube.

We stood there for a little while admiring the sound that came from this tube. The wind was rustling through the leaves and the birds were flying in the sky. It was a beautiful autumn morning and the sounds made it even more beautiful.

Jose told me that he bought the instrument as a gift for Ivan in Indonesia. He owned a small furniture company and imported from Indonesia. Time stood still for a little while but then they had to get ready for the long road back to Buenos Aires.

Ivan, Jose and Javier.

When I look at that rock in the corner of the garden I will remember Ivan and his Didgeridoo.

Here is a video clip of Ivan playing the Didgeridoo.

Newsletter March 2011

2011-03-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Another month is quickly drawing to an end and autumn is creeping up on us. I wish summer could stay just a little longer. But I will not be greedy and we are very excited for our family and friends in the Northern hemisphere that are welcoming spring. Andrey´s mom had to shuffle snow (1.5m deep!) to be able to get out of her door!

A beautiful autumn sunrise

Andrey and I hope that you are doing well and that life is treating you good. Once again I would like to thank the people who reply to our newsletter. It makes writing so much more enjoyable.

What happened here at Tinktinkie? We had a couple here from London, James and Claire. Normally when we receive a booking we offer to wait for people at the bus terminal. It just makes things easier when you cannot speak Spanish. We did the same for James and Claire. Well, when we confirmed the time of arrival, we realized that their tickets were booked to the wrong Santa Rosa. In fact there are 3 Santa Rosas in different provinces in Argentina! We quickly had to inform them that they need tickets for Santa Rosa de Calamuchita. Luckily the bus company, Chevallier, was kind enough to change the tickets on short notice, without a penalty.

Long distance busses in Argentina are excellent. James and Claire found that out very quickly. They offer a full course meal, Whiskey, wine and Tia Maria when you depart. Breakfast is just as good and the busses are really comfortable and luxury. They told us that they certainly don´t have busses like that in the UK!

We had a great empanada evening and we taught them how to make empanadas. It was great fun!

Claire and James making empanadas

Claire and James will be touring South America for the next 6 months. They are keeping a blog of all their adventures. Here is the link if you want to follow them.


Empanadas with meat

Last year the Government has introduced extra holidays for 2011 . It is all to promote tourism and for people to get away more often. A nice long weekend. The past weekend was a long weekend . We will start preparations for Easter soon. April is also a month to celebrate birthdays and I have been tasked to plan a birthday party for Andrey. Luckily he made it easy for me and chose the venue: La Cumbrecita.

Manu and Veronica came here for a couple of days from Villa Maria on a beautiful bike! It makes our little "Poegie" look so small. Bikers love the mountain roads and the curves here in the Calamuchita Valley. I cannot blame them it is so much fun on a bike. I can just imagine what is must feel like to be able to tour this beautiful country on a big bike.

On that roaring note I would like to share an extraordinary moment, captured by us some time ago. One evening we saw an incredible lightning show. It lasted for almost 40 minutes. What made this show so spectacular was that the thunder was running across the sky without a single sound. I have never seen anything like that before. The video is quite long but you are welcome to stop it when you want.

A big hug from Argentina!

Andrey & Nelieta

Newsletter February 2011

2011-02-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hello family and friends,

Andrey and I hope that the New Year has been treating you good so far! I guess everyone is back in the rat race. We are doing well. The schools here in Argentina closed middle December and some schools will only start again in March. For the tourism industry it is excellent news but I feel sorry for the poor parents. It is not always easy to entertain children for 3 months.

January was such a fun month! It all started with the Dakar 2011 that came past our Hostel again. It took us by surprise because we were not expecting the same route. The news spread quickly and we gathered a small group of South African, Russian and Argentinian supporters. Flags were waving outside and nothing could damper our spirits, not even the rain! We saw our favourite drivers and we had a blast! I managed to get hold of South African bike rider Albert Hintenaus. I mailed him the photos and he was so kind to forward me a Pdf document with his account of Dakar. If you want to read more about my Dakar experience please follow the link below.

My Dakar experience 2011!!!!!

Official Dakar photo: Bridge 300m from Hostel Tinktinkie

People often ask us if we meet interesting people. The answer: "Yes!". I think all people are interesting as we are all unique. But some people do stand out like Leonard Cohen. No he is not the famous singer Leonard Cohen but he is a very talented artists. Leonard and Elsa visited us last year when I was in South Africa and Andrey took these pictures. I drew everything from photos that he took. His work is truly remarkable.

Leonard drawing a picture that he took on a ranch close to us.

The picture in progress

A work of art!

In December we had Daniel and Juan Pedro from Buenos Aires here. They study insects! Needless to say they came to the right place because we don´t have a shortage of insects here! They have a fascinating job but nor something that I would like to do. I am terrified of all insects and they seek me out...you can run but you cannot hide!

Daniel and Juan Pedro are having a fun moment at Dakar 2011

In January we had Patricia and her husband Marco here. Patricia is a very talented opera singer in Buenos Aires. She won a scholarship and will be training with some of the best singers for the next two years. One of her teachers is from Russia.

Marco and Patrica

The holiday season bring a lot of fun activities to town. We are looking forward to the Carnaval that will be taking place next weekend. It is not the size of the Rio Carnaval in Brazil but it is beautiful to watch. The people wear stunning outfits and they sure know how to entertain the crowds. The video clip below was taken last year.

We currently have a couple from Saint Petersburg, Russia here. They are looking to settle in Argentina within the next 6 months. They say the weather is too cold and they want to move to some place warmer. They like the Calamuchita valley and we wish them luck and hope they find something that they can call home.

We are still having beautiful weather and I love the summer! The river is running strong and after heavy rain we can hear the rush of the water. It is so beautiful. People often comment on how beautiful and bright the stars are. It is true. At night you can almost touch the stars. Our visitors love to sit outside at night and admire the stars. It is sad that in the big cities it is almost impossible to see the stars. How blessed we are!

God bless dear family and friends! We miss you guys stax!!! Until next month.

Andrey & Nelieta

Christmas Newsletter - 2010

2010-12-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I found this beautiful Christmas blog template on the Internet and decided to use it for our final Newsletter this year! Doesn't it put you in a Christmas mood? I love the Christmas season, decorating the tree, preparing the Christmas meal, looking at shop windows and houses that are decorated and the overall joyful and merry atmosphere. Christmas is a time for sharing but most importantly to give thanks to our Saviour.

While I am writing this letter I cannot help to think back over this past year. I think it is normal to reflect on the year and it is important to rejoice in the good things and to put the bad things behind you. We sure had our down times this year but the good times outweigh the bad times by far. During this past year we were fortunate to meet so many interesting people. They were from all over the world and when they left our Hostel, they left their footprints behind. Andrey and I watched photos yesterday of the guests that we've had and we still remember their names and where they came from. The year has not come to an end yet and we are expecting more people here for December.

But the Christmas period can also be a sad time for many people, including us. While everybody are celebrating with family there are some people that spend this time of year alone or far away from their loved ones. So as the days to Christmas are drawing closer we start to miss our families more and the Christmas celebrations we had in both Russia and South Africa. Together we get nostalgic, talk about the good times, bad times, wipe a tear or two and watch a movie on Christmas eve.

We always watch the same two movies: "Home Alone" and "Planes,Trains and Automobiles". They put the smiles back on our faces. In Russia they celebrate Christmas on 6 January but all Russians in Argentina celebrate Christmas day on the 25th as well.

We would like to thank everybody for all your support,love and friendship over this last year. If you are travelling on holiday, please drive safely.

I want to end our newsletter with a Christmas prayer:

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus,
that we may share in the song of the Angels,
the gladness of the Shepherds,
and worship of the wise men.

Close the door of hate and open the door of love all
over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and
good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil
by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be
merry with clear hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy
children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds
with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for
Jesus sake,

Amen

Merry Christmas from Hostel Tinktinkie.

Andrey & Nelieta

http://www.tinktinkie.com

Newsletter October 2010!

2010-10-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Andrey and I hope that you all are well and in good spirits! Our spring has officially started on 21 September and I am really looking forward to those lovely summer days. Imagine a "braai" in the afternoon, a swim in the river and sitting on the patio looking at the stars at night! Andrey does not share my summer joy as he finds the heat unbearable.

The last 2 weeks have been cold again with a lot of rain. We are so blessed to finally have rain after the draught. It is wonderful to see everything turn green. I love it! The river is running strong and some nights we can hear the rush of water from our bedroom window. Let’s pray the rain will continue for the rest of the season.

Oktoberfest preparations kept us busy for most of September and early October. Beds had to be carried down from upstairs to convert the one private room into an 8 bed dorm. Andrey and I must have been quite a sight carrying down all the beds and mattresses! One section of the roof was never completed and Andrey embarked on a new project to finish it. With all the rain we were scared that the wood will rot and then we have to replace everything.

Andrey had no idea how to do it. So he Googled and found a site with instructions. Isn't the Internet great? With Ru as his constant companion, he managed to finish 80% of the roof before the rain stopped him.

With spring well under way, I imagined a garden full of beautiful flowers. It took some convincing but Andrey built me a flower box with rocks. I was so excited, immediately bought some flowers and planted them. They looked so lovely. 3 days later they were dead. ANTS!!!

I have never seen anything like this before. Big black and red ants ate them to the ground! Overnight. I couldn't believe my eyes. Well, the next day I went to buy poison and now I am watching my flower bed like a hawk. Luckily the flowers have started to grow again.

Soon it was time for the Oktoberfest! The German people in Argentina celebrate the Oktoberfest from 1- 11 October. It is 11 days filled with fun, beer, German food and a lot of people. It is our busiest time of the year and we were fully booked for both weekends. Our first group arrived from Buenos Aires. They are all exchange students from different parts in the United States. I love having the young people around. They are so alive, funny and have their lives ahead of them. Some days I wish I was 23 again!

Diego arrived just after the first group left and he stayed for 5 days. He is from Buenos Aires and came here to relax and enjoy the nature. Diego enjoyed some of our home cooked meals and we enjoyed his company and listening to his large music collection. He was also very kind to share some of the latest movies with us. How I miss being close to a cinema! Diego left when the 2nd group arrived and then he was on his way to Rio de Janeiro. Ru missed him a lot when he left!

The 2nd weekend is the most popular. It was estimated that more than 50,000 people attended the beer festival this year. Our second group was also from Buenos Aires but local people. They were groups of friends who booked rooms to be together. We also had our first Italians at the hostel. 3 Guys from Milan!

The guys loved the Oktoberfest. The men complained a little about the ratios - too many men and too little women! I must add I did not hear any girls complaining! On a sad note some of our guest got robbed. Professional thieves are always lurking to find an unsuspecting victim. It is so sad but we always warn people to leave valuables at the hostel. Despite of this they had an awesome time and vowed to come back again.

Our Italian group

The Oktoberfest is officially over and Andrey and I are exhausted. We have decided to take a 5 day hike to Mount Champaquí (2.7km high) it is one of the highest mountain ranges in the Cordoba Province. The view from the top of the mountain is breathtaking. We will be sleeping in base camps at night and hike during the day. We are both looking forward to it. I have not trained but Andrey has promised to take it easy. I have not camped in years so this is really going to be fun. I cannot wait to tell you all about it in our next news letter.

It will be business as usual as I have asked another South African family in Cordoba to stay at the hostel while we are away. They are very happy to get out of the big city for a couple of days.

On that happy note I am going to sign off.

God bless.

Nelieta & Andrey

Oktoberfest Argentinian style!

2010-10-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

Monica, John, Robbie, Marc, Craig, Adam, Michael,Adam, Jake.

Our first group from Buenos Aires arrived yesterday in a very cold, windy and wet Calamuchita. I waited for the guys at the bus terminal. The disappointment was written all over their faces when they got off the bus! The first question they asked me: "Is this weather normal?" I laughed and replied: "Not for this time of the year!" I think I would have felt the same. But despite of the blistering rain and cold, nothing could damper their spirits. They are here to experience the Argentinian Oktoberfest and that is exactly what they are going to do! Our second group arrived later in the afternoon from Mendoza. Both groups are from different parts in the United States.

When we arrived at the hostel the guys asked me what the big deal was with the Oktoberfest. Good question! People on Facebook are probably tired of me going on and on about it. But here in Argentina it is a major event with a long history. The Oktoberfest in Villa General Belgrano goes back to 1964. The festival is not just about the beer. The celebrations pay tribute to the German origin. Every year, during the month of October, the mountain range district of Villa General Belgrano dresses up to celebrate the traditional National Beer Festival.

In Argentina the event is celebrated from 1-11 October in the beer garden (a venue especially designed for the occasion). We explained to the guys that they each need to buy a "chopp" (a giant beer mug) which they clip into a belt worn over the shoulder. Then they need to get the feathered hat and they are set to enjoy the festival! At the Oktoberfest in Argentina main beer trademarks are sold including red, clear, honey, green and black beer.

But not everything is beer at the Villa General Belgrano Oktoberfest, in the beer garden there are also several stands with traditional German dishes, such as Frankfurt sausages, the mandatory leber-wurst, smoked pork ribs and the well-known sausages with chucrut. When it is time for dessert, there is hardly any hesitation; the selva negra cake (chocolate sponge cake with cream and morellos fruit) and the Apfelstrudel (apple pie with puff pastry) are applauded by everyone.

At times, the celebration moves onto the centre of the city, where there is a parade of the communities that have contributed to the formation of the present cosmopolitan identity of Villa General Belgrano. Thus, delegations from Germany, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, the Canary Islands, Yugoslavia, Sweden, Portugal, Brazil, Greece, Italy, Armenia and Ukraine proudly show off their typical costumes.
One of the high points of the event is the election of the National Queen of Beer, who is chosen among twenty applicants who have been previously selected in several points all round the country.

With all of that in mind the groups set off for the opening ceremony of the festival. But unfortunately the weather was very bad and people did not attend the first day as expected. Some returned early to the hostel and others stayed on until later. Marc and Craig got ripped off when the taxi apparently could not find the hostel! They took it in good spirit though.

Entrance to the Beer Garden.

The weather forecast promised a beautiful day tomorrow!

Places to visit: Via Crucis Hiking route

2010-09-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

We always recommend places to visit while staying at Hostel Tinktinkie. One of these places is Via Crucis.

Via Crucis is a hiking route in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita where 14 crosses have been planted. It is +- 150m from the base to the top of the hill where you have a panoramic view of the beautiful Calamuchita valley. From the top of the hill you can see the winding Santa Rosa river.

I have been to Via Crucis a couple of times. The first time was in August 2008 when Andrey and I climbed it for the first time. August was a good time to climb the hill because it was not very hot but the river was very dry. The rain season only starts late September. It is not a very difficult route to hike. Climbing down was more difficult because there are a lot of small rocks and it can be slippery. I do not suggest you climb the route when it has been raining. There are also alot of places where you can rest when you get tired.

When you reach the top of the hill you find the last cross. Normally people leave some souvernirs here, like pieces of material, a coin or water.

The 2nd time I did not go with. My family was visiting from South Africa and the women decided to stay behind. It was only Andrey and my brother-in-law that went. They loved it! They both had their cameras with them and took a lot of pictures of the fauna and flaura. You also find a lot of different bird species while you are climbing.

A view of the Calamuchita Valley with the Champaqui Mountain range in the background.

The 3rd time was when my daughters visited from South Africa. They are two very active teenagers and couldn't climb the hill fast enough. But we chose a hot day and I got a lot of muscle cramps. This time I did not make it to the top as I was in too much pain. Mariska waited with me until Nadine and Andrey came down. I also recently went with my friend Monica. We had a lot of fun!

It is very easy to find the hiking route. You follow Ruta 5, go past the hospital and you will find the entrance to Via Crucis. It is marked with a wooden sign and you cannot miss it.

The winding Santa Rosa River.

Nadine at the last cross.

Dinner time at Tinktinkie.

2010-08-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

One of the things we love do at Tinktinkie is to have dinner with our guests. There is something magical about having dinner at the dinner table. I love to use my maroon and gold table cloth from Thailand, for these special occasions. These occasions are special indeed. I believe that food brings people together. It is one of those rare moments where you can relax, enjoy the food and company and forget about all your worries.

Dinner time at Tinktinkie is special. Andrey is an expert cook and I must admit he prepares most of the dishes. They are way too exotic for me to make! My speciality is the Russian salad. We have a couple of dishes that we like to prepare. Our favourite of course is the "asado", "braai" or barbeque with the Russian salad. But meat has become very expensive so we don't do that often. The other favourites are "Plov" and "meat balls" . They are excellent dishes.

We have also introduced the "Empanada" evening. This is a fun evening where everybody gets involved in the preparation of the food. We have a tradition at Hostel Tinktinkie where we "toast". Toasting is a fun way of welcoming people and to thank them for coming here.

This is exactly what we have done when Justin came here for the weekend. We decided to make "Plov". Now "Plov" is an Asian dish where you use chicken, eggplant, rice, carrots and onions. There is a specific way to prepare "Plov". I will not get into details but you are welcome to ask us for the recipe. Justin went hiking for the day and was starving by the time he got back. We had a wonderful evening, enjoyed the company and especially the food. Ru was just as happy because she got some left overs.

Who knows maybe we will have dinner with you soon?

Greetings from Hostel Tinktinkie!

2010-08-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

We hope that everybody is good and that life is treating you well! I woke up this morning with the smell of rain in the air. I got so excited because we really do need rain. But instead of rain the weather turned bad and now it is cloudy and cold again. Weather the last month has been crazy! Our spring will officially start on 21 September so in reality the winter is not over yet. In the beginning of August we had snow here. It was not a lot of snow and it didn't last for long but it was enough to make a snow ball and throw Andrey with it!

The winter months are also a good opportunity to update all the boring administration work. That is exactly what I have done when I have revamped our website! It was a major revamp and we are inviting everyone to have a look at it, try it and let us know if you like it or not! We really do appreciate all feedback - positive and negative.

http://www.tinktinkie.com

For those of you not following us on facebook, we had excellent news this month. As you know I have been talking a lot about water problems in the past. Well now we will finally have municipal water. This after 2 years and we are very excited. Up to know we had to save every drop of water. We will still continue doing that but it will be easier on us.

They have started with the project about 2 weeks ago and we should be waiting another 2-3 weeks before the water is actually connected. We are saving a huge amount of money and I have to thank the people in one of the villages close to us, who have put the money together to make this possible.

A lot of my close friends will be very surprised when I tell them that I have also learnt how to make some traditional Argentinian food! Cooking has never been one of my strong points but I had an excellent teacher, Nancy, who visited us with her family.She was cooking for them and the one day she taught me how to make Empanadas. I am sorry but there is no real English or Afrikaans word for Empanadas. The only way I can explain it is to say it is a type of meat pie.

We had so much fun making it that we have decided to incorporate it in our hostel activities. We are going to have Empanda evenings! We had our first evening with Eduardo and Regina! What fun we had! Nancy also showed me how to make toffee apples!

Regina (Germany living in New Zealand), Nelieta and Andrey


Empanadas!

Last but not least we had a wonderful visit here at the Hostel from a fellow South African now living in Cordoba! We had a traditional South African "braai/barbeque/asado" with "braai broodjies or toasted bread with cheese, tomato and onion on the grill"), Afrikaans music and a great time. It is so special to have friends coming over and to spend time together. Andrey was also lucky to have a Russian man from San Rafael coming over to say "hi".

Andrey also enjoyed it a great deal especially the wine and apples Misha brought with him. I have been more than lucky because in addition to Charles' visit ,I also had the opportunity to meet The Volschenk family, also living in Cordoba! They came to visit for the day.

Charles and Mercedes

On this happy note I am wishing you all a wonderful day! God bless and we will update you again soon!

Nelieta and Andrey

Amazing sunsets in the Calamuchita Valley!

2010-07-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

I almost missed this beautiful sunset at the Hostel last night. I was curled up in front of the fire and when I quickly stepped outside I saw it! I ran into the house and grabbed my camera. I love sunsets. Just imagine: It is something that you find any place in the world. It is free and it always takes your breath away.God is such a Creative Painter!

I found this beautiful poem and would like to share it. Enjoy!

Every night
The horizon lights up
Swirls of pink and orange
Fading to blue and purple

Few bother to look anymore
At a blessing
That only comes once a day

Each sunset is different
No two exactly alike
Difference flows throughout
While it is the only similarity

Over the ocean
Or through the sky scrapers
Out on the prairie
Or in an apartment

You can still see a piece
A piece of something
Something never to return
A sunset

For the colors are shimmering
For a moment they stay
Only to disappear into change
Change just as beautiful as the last

This is why
No matter where you go
One thing remains the same,
A difference in sunsets

In your very own sunset

Jessica Millsaps

Snow in July!

2010-07-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday the weather changed rapidly and became very cold. I felt so sorry for Marina and Pablo who stayed here for a couple of days. It was so cold! The previous day they were enjoying the sunshine and made a nice braai (asado). But today was impossible, Temperatures dropped very quickly and the mountains were covered in snow. We made a fire in the fire place and curled up in front of it.

I was jumping up and down from joy when the first snow started to fall. It is snowing! It is snowing! But the snow was melting so quickly. It was not yet cold enough for the snow to glue together. Snow is really funny. First it falls down from the sky like ice rain. Then the snowflakes start to fall.. Then it melts and everything turns wet. Almost like when it is raining. But the smell in the air is different.

The rest of the day remained very cold and I was still hoping for a lot of snow to fall during the night. I want to build a snow man.

I am not used to snow, so the smallest hint that snow is approaching and I am like a child. I can imagine what children in Europe are like when they wait for the first snow to arrive. Our winter will only finish on 21 September; so maybe, just maybe I will still be able to build that snowman!

Nelieta & Andrey

It's been a while!

2010-07-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It feels like ages since I have last updated the blog! I suppose time flies when you are having fun...and did I have fun when I went to South Africa in June! About that a little later.

May was a hectic month for us here at Tinktinkie. My trip was not planned and I had to make all the arrangements in a very short space of time. I was worried about Andrey being alone at the hostel, so we decided to ask Alex and Natalia if Babushka Nelly (that is Natalia's Mom) could stay here while I was gone. Alex and Natalia love it here and decided to bring the whole family along. They stayed for almost 3 weeks!

I took the train from Cordoba to Buenos Aires. I was really impressed with the train service. The only thing that didn't impress me was the 17 hours to get there! How I've missed Buenos Aires! The crazyness, the people, and the vibe in the city. I took part in the 25 May celebrations this year. This is a very important day in Argentina because they celebrate their independence from Spain. This year was even bigger, because they celebrated 200 years. I joined the festivities in Plaza de Mayo and it was crazy! I also managed to meet Hendrik and Laura for coffee in a wonderful coffee shop in San Telmo.

The day of my departure was a nightmare, to say the least. Everything was such a rush because I needed to get my Yellow Fever injection before I could fly. It is a new entry requirement by South Africa. But disaster struck when I lost my cellphone! I am not sure if it got stolen at the bus terminal or maybe I left it in the taxi. Andrey believes it got stolen because it was switched off . I was still in shock and when I eventually got calm on the aeroplane I realized that I have lost my jacket too. I couldn't believe it! I lost my jacket in my frantic search for my cellphone! On that note I left for South Africa!

My time in South Africa was absolutely amazing! I couldn't believe how much OR Thambo Aiport has changed. It is a world class airport and it looked so modern! I was very impressed. Monica was waiting for me and we took a drive through Hillbrow and again to my amazement it was clean, buildings were painted and it looked very nice. I couldn't believe my eyes. What impressed me the most was the atmosphere of unity in South Africa. Flags were everywhere and everybody was participating in this great event.

It was wonderful to see my family in Gauteng again. I couldn't get to my family in the Cape, but there is always a next time. I got spoilt rotten to say the least. I had such an amazing time with everyone and I have realized how much I miss the people. Distance changes people and I was very emotional most of the time. I missed everyone so much and appreciated each moment..

I managed to see old school friends, some which I haven't seen in 22 years. It was wonderful to talk about the past, the future and what we still want to do. The most special gift was to see my girls, Nadine and Mariska. Words cannot describe how it felt to be able to see them again after 1 1/2 years. I will treasure the memories and my time in South Africa for ever and I would also like to thank each and everyone who made this holiday possible and unbelievable. Thank you!

I am also very, very proud of how South Africa has presented the World Cup Soccer! They have done an amazing job!!!

I came back just in time to celebrate my 40th birthday! For months I was scared and depressed to turn 40. See now people start to label you as middle aged, old and over the hill. But I realized that the best 40 years is still to come so I am not scared anymore! Thank you again to all my family and friends who celebrated with me in South Africa and also a big thank you to Andrey who made my return and day here just as special.

The schools are closing in July and we are expecting some people here later in the month. We will keep you posted!

Saludos
Andrey & Nelieta

Hostel Tinktinkie Newsletter April 2010

2010-04-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Andrey and I hope that everyone is well. Our friends in the Northern hemisphere are celebrating spring and we down south are preparing for winter. Well, look at the bright side. Winter is time to make big pots of soup, drink hot chocolate, wrap our cold bodies in blankets, shiver in front of the fire and put on weight. I am only joking!

We had a really busy Easter period with a lot of interesting people. Remember I told you in the March newsletter about the Ballerinas? Well, we had 6 beautiful ballerinas here. They are from a city called Rosario, not very far from Buenos Aires. They stayed with us for a weekend. I was dying to get a picture of them striking a ballet pose. While we waited for the taxi to pick them up I grabbed my camera and they were immediately ready to show me some moves. Before Andrey knew what hit him they took him by the hand and he joined them. It was hilarious! Then it was my turn...I don’t think I can ever be a ballerina! But on a serious note these girls are good. Have a look at their website if you have some free time.

http://www.thejazzclubrosario.com.ar

Jonny and Thomas, two cousins from Carlisle in the UK, passed through here on their way to Mendoza. They have an amazing adventure in South America andlater Jonny will head down to Australia. He studied for a pilot and will be learning to fly big commercial planes in Australia! Thomas studied environmental science and we had some interesting discussions about farming and the environment. We also had two women here from Carloz Paz,. Natalia and Micaela! I could not spend a lot of time with them because we had a house filled with people. But I am staying in contact on facebook.

The same day when Jonny and Thomas left, Alana and James from London arrived. Alana is our first Australian at the hostel. They both live in London. Alana and James came from Cordoba and wanted to spend a couple of days in the country side. I had some very interesting discussions with James about South Africa and marketing. There are so many South Africans living in London. In fact even James could speak some Afrikaans and he was actually very good!

April was our month for celebrations. Marina, Misha and Agustina from Buenos Aires arrived and we celebrated Agustina’s 5th birthday here at Tinktinkie. We held a small party for her. We decorated the kitchen with balloons and her mom hid small presents inside the balloons. She was so scared to pop the balloons and ran out and closed the door. We had a delicious cake and in the afternoon we had an “asado” or braai. They had so much fun exploring nature and insects. They brought a telescope with them and watched the stars at night. It is getting more and more difficult to see stars in the big cities.

Here they are so bright you can almost pick them from the sky. Agustina made herself at home playing in the building sand and with Ru. It was wonderful to have a child here. They stayed with us for 5 days and then took the train back to Buenos Aires.Marina and Misha are from Russia but Agustina was born in Argentina. She is only 5 years old but fluent in Russian and Spanish. Incredible!

Daniela joined us when the big rush was over. She came from Buenos Aires and asked the bus to drop her off in the main road, 700m from the hostel. In fact they dropped her off 5kms from the hostel! We did not know what to do. So I decided to get on the scooter and go and fetch her. She was standing next to the road and I loaded her and her backpack on the scooter and came to the hostel. It was fun! Daniela took her time to explore all the places in the Calamuchita Valley. She celebrated Agustina’s birthday with us and she was also here when Hendrik and Laura arrived.

It was Hendrik and Laura’s 2nd visit and it was really great to see them again. They are always willing to help. When Andrey asked them to buy and bring the DVD writer that he wanted from Buenos Aires, they did not hesitate to help us. They only stayed for 1 night and we decided to have a nice meal together. Daniela was still here and joined us. Andrey made one of his specialities called “Plov”and it was a winner. The food and company was excellent! Daniela, Hendrik and Laura left the next morning.

I joined a travel site in January, which I am enjoying immensely. I write travel reviews and blogs. It is also through this site that I met Una. She was referred to me by another travel buddy Fernando. Fernando is Argentinian and now lives in Florida. To make a long story short, Una contacted me. They were on their way to Mendoza and wanted to stay here for a couple of nights. What made her trip so special was that her mom, Anne joined her here in Argentina. Una is from Iceland and her mom is originally from Denmark. Then it started to rain and got cold. But luckily they managed to see La Cumbrecita and some other places. We also had a delicious meal together. They returned to Iceland in the midst of the volcanic ashes!

Last but not least was Andrey's birthday!I wrote a separate blog about that. We had a wonderful day together.

We were blessed with wonderful people here at Tinktinkie. We had a fun filled and action packed Easter week at Tinktinkie. Andrey will be looking for work this month. We need an extra income to carry us through the winter months. Please pray with us that he will find something soon. We wish everyone a good May and God bless.

Andrey and Nelieta

Andrey's Birthday!

2010-04-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Birthdays are special occassions and it was no different when Andrey celebrated his birthday on the 15th of April.

He really wanted a new DVD writer as his stopped working a couple of months ago and needed to be replaced. For days he was searching the internet for the best prices and eventually found one in Buenos Aires. But what to do? We are 780kms from Buenos Aires! Luckily Hendrik and Laura (friends of ours) came to our rescue and offered to buy the DVD writer and bring it with them later in the month, Andrey was so excited!

But shame when the DVD writer arrived it did not work. He batlled for a full day to install it, without success. Luckily Hendrik and Laura were still in Cordoba and we arranged for them to take it back to Buenos Aires and have it exchanged. He will have to wait a little longer before he can use it.

So with that in mind I did not know what to do to make the day special for him. I knew he wanted Vodka, his favourite breakfast, a braai, cheesecake and a traditional Russian Salad. I went to town the day before and bought all the ingredients. I stopped at Barillin, a chocolate factory and bought him a box of chocolates. I love to go there because the shop is beautiful and they always wrap the presents beautifully. They really have excellent chocolate and they are not expensive. In the photo you can see some of the chocolate..it does not come with empty spaces! We ate some for breakfast. I like the white milk chocolate and Andrey the dark chocolate!

The morning of his birthday arrived and I decorated the kitchen with colourful balloons. Ru, our dog, did not know what was going on! She was scared of the balloons and were hiding underneath the table. Poor thing, she has never seen balloons before. Andrey got coffee in bed and then I called him to the kitchen where he got his favourite breakfast. Eggs, bread, viennas, fried onions and coffee. He loved it!

We decided to have a braai in the afteronon and I started with the preparations for the Russian salad. It is a very delicious salad but takes some time to prepare. I will gladly send anyone the recipe. We also took some pictures of the two of us together to email to family and friends back in Russia. It was fun!

We have not taken pictures of ourselves in ages and we really had a good time. As you can see from the picture it is getting cold. The last couple of days were very cold. Andrey loves the cold weather so it came as a birthday present. The rest of the day he took easy. He answered birthday messages, relaxed and just enjoyed the day.

Next was a late afternoon coffee with cheesecake - another favourite of Andrey. I bought it fresh from the bakery early in the morning. I know, I know it is going straight to the hips!!!! It was so delicious and creamy and did I mention fresh?

I love the bakeries here in Argentina. The people are so helpful and I have met a lady there who has started to study English. I have offered to help her so every time I go there she is so happy to see me. It makes my trips to the bakery special. I walked out of the bakery with everybody congratulating my husband on his birthday.

The salad was ready and we started to braai. Andrey is really getting very good at this. We had a lovely time around the fire. Talking, playing some music and just enjoying the late afternoon sun. Then we sat down for dinner and had a great time celebrating. According to the Russian tradition we always have toasts. One was to Andrey wishing him love, health and , happiness. The next toast was to his Mom for giving birth to him and for raising him to be the man that he is today. The 3rd toast was for family and friends not with us.

Andrey was speaking to a friend in Russia and became very sad. Even though the day was perfect for him I knew in his heart he wanted to celebrate the day with his Mom, sister , nephew and friends back in Russia. It made me sad too. When we celebrate special occassions we miss the people that are our flesh and blood. We miss our friends and the people back home that are part of our lives. That is why I am sharing Andrey's special day with you so that you know we have been thinking about our family and friends back home!

Newsletter for February 2010

2010-03-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Calamuchita, Family and Friends,

Andrey and I are well and hope that you had a fantastic February. Time is flying for sure and we are already in March! But what were we up to at Hostel Tinktinkie?

February was a slow month. I am not sure what the reason was. Maybe the Rio Carnival in Brazil impacted on tourism in February. Another reason could be that the school holidays in Argentina were cut short by one month. Children here normally have 3 months school holidays but this year it changed to 2 months. February people want to stay home and prepare for the schools to start in March. We also learn as we go along and each year we will be better prepared. We only had 2 girls here in February, Lucrecia (Argentinian) and Irina (Russia). They stayed for a couple of days and explored the Calamuchita Valley.

But all was not doom and gloom and we had a fantastic time in February. The reason? My Dad from Cape Town and his wife Annelize came to visit. It was their first visit to Argentina and I have not seen him in almost 2 years.Christmas arrived early for me this year! When they opened their suitcases, Rooibos tea, Marmite, Marshmallows, Vicks and Milky Bars popped out!!! All the things that I cannot find here.

But I think the nicest gift in the suitcase was the biltong! Wow you guys have no idea how I longed for Biltong! But my Dad also brought us spices to make our own biltong, chili bytes and droe wors. He showed Andrey how to make Chili bytes and Andrey had his first try. I am not sure if tasting every 30 minutes is part of the recipe. I keep on telling him that Russian people cannot eat biltong and that it is only for South Africans but he keeps on laughing and tell me that I talk nonsense. Well, you can imagine what we will be making for the next couple of months. We really have excellent meat in Argentina.

Andrey and I took turns to show them the Calamuchita Valley, La Cumbrecita, Villa General Belgrano and Cordoba City. At La Cumbrecita we did the "Foefie" slide in the mountains or the "Tirolessa" as the call it here. Normally I am on standby with the camera but this time I also went down the rope. They quickly learnt that "tres" is 3 and "dos" is 2...I had no choice! At the Tirolessa we met a young Argentinian man who was an exchange student in Sandton. Imagine our surprise when he greeted us in Afrikaans! He was our instructor and I had so much fun! Andrey could not go with us because we cannot leave the Hostel alone. Andrey made us an excellent "braai" one night and my Dad told Andrey that he CAN "braai". I was very proud because he knows how we South Africans like our meat. It is one of our traditions that he has learnt quickly. I have learnt how to make a very good Russian salad and each time it is getting better. Andrey taught me well.Then we combine our South African and Russian traditions and finish it off with a very good Argentinian wine.

Time came to say goodbye and We took the bus to Buenos Aires. It is strange how quickly I have adapted to the quiet, country life here in Argentina. By the second day the people in the city were driving me crazy. The problem in Buenos Aires is that you always need to be alert.
It is a big city and tourists are targets. We saw that first hand when a couple next to us was robbed of their bag with money in it when we were watching a Tango show in Caminito. Poor people I felt so sorry for them. Luckily I know my way around in the city and it made things easier. When we were living in Buenos Aires Andrey showed me everything and I know which areas are safe and where to walk at night. That helped me allot. They were suppose to fly back on the Wednesday but then a protest march took place in the city. Avenida 9 de Julio is one of the the main streets that links the city to the highway. We could not get out of the city! What a disaster. They missed their flight as we were 7 minutes late. They refused to help us. I was already booked to leave for home later in the evening and we had disaster on our hands. Luckily our friends Alex and Natalia could accommodate them and I managed to change my ticket to leave on the Saturday. Good thing was that it gave us some extra time together. We managed to change their tickets and they could leave on the Sunday. I am happy that they managed to see more of the city. We visited Tigre (45 minutes outside Buenos Aires and took a 2 hour boat ride on the river), Recoletta (Cemetery were rich and famous people are buried), Caminito (Tango shows and restaurants), Puerto Madero (At the harbour with hundreds of different restaurants) and various parts of the city. They also first handed experienced some Russian hospitality as Alex and Natalia went out of their way to make them feel at home. I am grateful for friends like that.

While we were in Buenos Aires an earth quake hit Chile and a lot of damage was done. I am not sure if you have seen it on Television? Andrey said he could feel the earth quake up to here. We are right in the middle of Argentina. Luckily nothing happened here and we are safe but our hearts go out to the people in Chile. We got some nice rain in February and we are very grateful.

I left on the Saturday and was just in time to see the 2 girls before they left. Andrey had to cope on his own and it is not easy to manage everything on your own. The city was great and I managed to do some promotion work while I was there.

We miss all our family and friends and hopefully we will have more family coming to visit this year!

Take care everyone!

Andrey and Nelieta

January 2010 newsletter

2010-02-02T05:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Andrey and I hope that you are well and that everyone had a great December holiday. We kicked January off with a bang!

We had a group of 9 people staying at the hostel on 1 January. They were part of a catering team for Dakar and had to travel early to their next destination. We did not see much of them because they checked in at 1am and checked out at 5am. Andrey and I were like 2 excited children to get ready for the Dakar event. We organized our cameras and made sure we got front row seats! (A blog of the event is available with pictures.)

Guests started to arrive slowly. First we had a French young man and his American girlfriend, Clement and Elicia. They travelled from Buenos Aires and have been in Argentina for a couple of months. They stayed for a 2 nights, rented bycicles and explored the country side.

Then we had Ignacio from Rosario. Rosario is a town not very far from Buenos Aires. He came here to climb Champaqui with a tour group. Champaqui is one of the mountains ranges close to us. Our friend Alex comes here on a regular basis to climb the mountain in training for Aconcagua (one of the higest mountain series in South America). Iganacio is a very interesting young man and he is planning to hitchhike his way through Mexico to Alaska and on to Russia! We wish him well.

Next came Leila and Judith. They are 2 friends from Buenos Aires and were planning to travel up North. They are also young aspiring actresses and singing and dancing were at the order of the day. They were a breath of fresh air in the hostel. I loved having them here. They made themselves comfortable and that is what our hostel is all about.

Whe had a "all girl" week when Tatyana from Russia arrived. She is travelling on a motorbike through Argentina! She came here on recommendation from our friend Alex and loved it here. She was on her way to Chile and stopped here for 2 days. At the Chilean border they refused her entry because her bike was purchased in Argentina and she is not a resident. We are following her adventures on LiveJournal and she is now heading to Patagonia. Safe travel Tatyana!

Then we had Diego and Giselle from Buenos Aires here for 4 days. They are a young couple that were on holiday up north and wanted to visit the calamuchita valley again. They enjoyed the country side and especially the river. They were spending most of their time relaxing at the river and swimming.

Last but not least was our visit from 2 sisters Sthefanie and Paula. Sthefanie took her younger sister on a trip and they were coming from Cordoba. They stayed one night and Paula celebrated her 16th birthday here. Our youngest visitor at the hostel so far.

It has been an amazing month and we were fortunate to have had so many people here at the hostel! We are getting allot of enquiries which means that people are starting to notice "Hostel Tinktinkie" on the internet. The holiday season has been quiet this year. We are still plagued with drought and it is extremely hot. (See the blog about the rain)

I am also attaching a picture of Julien and Sheree from South Africa. They visited us over Christmas and we had a really good time speaking "Afrikaans"!

We are looking forward to the month of February, with an upcoming family visit and more, exciting people at the hostel.

Andrey & Nelieta

Finally some rain..

2010-01-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

When I lived and worked in Johannesburg I hardly ever paid notice to the changes in the climate. You always heard farmers complaining when it was not raining and the impact it had on their lifes. But now that I am living here and very close to nature, I can understand what they must have been going through. I apologize for my ignorance...

It is so easy to open a tap and you have water. You can use it for whatever you like, even waste it. But when you don't have water you tend to notice every drop that you use. Flushing toilets, washing dishes, watering plants and showering. Showering is the worst because you have to make it quick..and by quick, I mean really quick!

On a weekly basis we phone for water , which gets delivered in a big truck. We fill our 1000L tank. We also have a tank outside which belongs to our architect, mr. Rojas. Our architect is a wonderful man and if it was not for his help, we would have been stranded without water. Luckily his employee Paco, which is working for the municipality, helps us on weekly basis by bringing water. We pay him for his services. Mr. Rojas is also the architect for the municipality and he has contacts in the right places.

The past week has been terrible and the heat unbearable. We had temperatures ranging between 30-38 daily and the humidity fluctauted between 30%-70%. Walking out of the house was like walking into an oven and I am not kidding! The sun has burnt the grass to a strange yellow.

Today it finally started to rain. Soft drops that got soaked up immediately. A foggy mist was hanging over the mountains and you could hear the roaring of the thunder. They are forecasting rain for the next 10 days. Please God let it rain!

I love the smell of rain. I love rain..especially now.

Our experience of Dakar 2010!

2010-01-03T09:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some background on the Dakar race.

"Considered the most dangerous race on the planet, the Dakar Rally starts on Saturday with 378 drivers taking part in the second edition staged in South America because of security concerns.

Dunes, desert, mountains and other hostile terrain lie in wait for 138 cars, 161 motorbikes, 29 quads and 50 trucks in the 16-stage race that covers 9 030km across Argentina and Chile before finishing on January 16 in Buenos Aires.

Last year's winner, Ginield De Villiers of South Africa, leads the favourites. The 2009 champions in other categories also return: Spanish motorbike rider Marc Coma, Czech quad driver Josef Machacek and Russian truck driver Firdaus Kabirov.

The symbolic start of the race will take place Friday, with a 349km drive from emblematic Buenos Aires monument, the Obelisk, to the city of Colon.

Racing begins the following day from Colon with a 684km first stage to Cordoba. Drivers then head to La Rioja and Fiambala in Argentina before going to Copiapo on January 5, the first Chilean city to host the Dakar, followed by Antofogasta, Iquique, La Serena and Santiago.

The race returns to Argentina, passing through San Juan, San Rafael, Santa Rosa and finally Buenos Aires. The only rest day in the 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally will be January 9.

Teams from Volkswagen and BMW are the favourites. Volkswagen boasts De Villiers, as well as former world rally champion Carlos Sainz from Spain and Qatari driver Al Attiyah.

BMW will have French driver Stephane Peterhansel behind the wheel, a six-time champion on motorbikes and three-time winner in cars of the Dakar Rally in Africa, plus Nani Roma of Spain.

"The Dakar is the hardest race in the world, you have to work hard and suffer a lot," said Roma, the 2006 winner. "But when you get to be champion, it's worth it." "

Now for my experience!

It is difficult to describe how it feels to be part of such a big event. Some people only manage to watch this on television. Some people never get to see it. I was very lucky and I am grateful for the organizers who decided that the route past our hostel should be included.

Honestly I had no idea what to expect. I knew that 378 drivers were going to take part and that in itself was already enough for me. I had my camera ready, battery charged and I found a very nice spot to be able to take decent pictures. But when the first bike approached I almost missed it because I was so excited. I wanted to get the perfect angle, I wanted to wave and scream and some times I missed the photo opportunity because it was so great to see the riders taking the time to enjoy the atmosphere.

Andrey was excited to see the performance of the Russian drivers and I could not find any South Africans eventhough the winner last year was a South African. But they decided to use the abreviation ZAF and not SA and I only realized it this morning when I was putting names to the drivers. We had some SA drivers and I have some pictures of them!

It was a hot and beatiful day. When the bikes came past some people were complaining that it was too slow. But I don't think people realize how difficult it is to ride a 2 wheeler. Bikes are not new to me. Back in SA I had a 250cc offroad as well as a 450cc road bike. Here the road is difficult and you need to be so careful not to slide and get injured. It was not easy for drivers to overtake and go very fast. First they went throught the river and then they switched over to some very muddy areas. Then they were back on sand and rocks. You could hear some bikes beeping and obviously something was wrong. Some drivers got upset and others were checking their bikes to see what was wrong. Some spectators were upset and I was totally amazed. Then the quads came and it was easier fro them and they kicked up quite a performance!

Next to come was the cars and man did I enjoy them. They were absolutely great! Then we had the buggies and a little later came the big trucks. I have never seen them before and they were so laid back with 3 people in the cabin. They were hooting and people were cheering.

Luckily we had no injuries here. The police did an excellent job to keep people of the roads. Some people were really doing some crazy things by trying to go on the road with their cars or bikes, but they got stopped. In Rio Cuart a woman was killed and people were injured.

I had a wonderful, wonderful day and I can only say thank you to Dakar who made this event possible. i wish all the drivers well and thank you to the drivers who took the time to wave back at me and who obviously enjoyed the time!

Go Dakar!!!

Dakar 2010 - Argentina to Chile

2009-12-29T16:42:00.001-08:00

The Dakar 2010 rally will start in Buenos Aires on 1 January. From Buenos Aires they will make their way to Cordoba, through the Calamuchita Valley. The route will take them right in front of our hostel. They will pass here on 2 January. Then they will go to Chile. What a wonderful way to start the new year! How lucky we are as most people only get to watch this on television.

Today they have started to cut some small branches from trees that might be blocking the way. To be honest I have no idea what to expect. We are expecting alot of spectators but in terms of how many I am not sure. I am very much looking forward to take pictures of the cars and bikes speeding past us. We will have front row seats and can watch it from the terrace. I am really getting excited!

We received a group booking of 12 people and with other guests the hostel will be full. It will be the 2nd time now since we officially opened. I am very grateful.

I will be posting some pictures and in the mean time I am wishing all the paricipants in the Rally the best of luck and safe driving!

Best wishes for the New Year from all of us here at Hostel Tinktinkie. Have a wonderful and blessed 2010.

Oktoberfest 2009!

2009-11-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

It was with great excitement that we awaited the 2009 Octoberfest. It was the official opening of Hostel Tinktinkie!

When we received the enquiry in August to accommodate a group of 14 people, we were excited and nervous at the same time. This will be our first big group and the question was can we do it? How do we keep a big group happy? Later in the week we received another booking for 3 girls and the number increased to 17 people. We were officially fully booked!

We had our work cut out for us. We still had one room to finish! We asked the carpenter to make extra beds and I started to make the duvets and bedding. Writing about it now does not seem like allot of work but believe me it was. We looked at the room with great pride and joy when it was finished.

2 weeks before the Festival I received another email from Sebastian asking us to accommodate 2 more people. Impossible I thought, we have no more space! But Andrey came up with a solution. We have 2 blowup mattresses. Were they prepared to take it? YES!! So the number increased to 19!!!

Tinktinkie was buzzing and the vibe was great. The guys watched the soccer match between Argentina and Peru and the spirits were high when Argentina won the game. Then off to the Beer Festival for the guys!

Breakfast and showering were challenging. If you snooze you loose.It is a big family and you have to be quick! Breakfast consisted of freshly baked medialunas and facturas and coffee. Breakfast was served in the kitchen and it was wonderful to hear all the laughter and conversations around the table. Overall they entertained themselves, playing some chess or Truco (a card game) or just relaxing in a group drinking some mate. Then hard partying at the beer festival.

We would like to thank Sebastian and Majo for the bookings made at Tinktinkie. We hope you all had a fantastic time...we sure did. The Oktoberfest 2009 will always be carved in our memories and we will remember this time fondly!

Choosing a name for our Hostel!

2009-11-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

Mis disculpas a la gente de habla español. Mi blog es en Inglés, pero hay una función para traducir en español.

"Tinktinkie" is the Afrikaans word for a small little bird in South Africa.

When I was a little girl, my grandfather used to call me his Tinktinkie or little bird. It was his special name for me and I still remember it to this day. When we discussed names for our hostel I mentioned it to Andrey. He liked the name so much and so "Hostel Tinktinkie" was born.

"Tinktinkie" is a very foreign name to the Spanish speaking people here. I love it when the pronounce it! It sounds beautiful.

Que significa "Tinktinkie"? "Tinktinkie" es una palabra en Afrikaans que significa un pajarito chiquito. Cuando estuve niña, mi abuelo, me llamaba "mi Tinktinkie". Fue el nombre especial para mi y todavia estoy recordando esto con cariño.

Cuando fuimos eligiendo el nombre para el hostel se lo mencioné a Andrey. A él le gusto el nombre y asi el hostel "Tinktinkie" nació.

"Tinktinkie" es un nombre muy extraño para las personas que hablan español. Me encanta como la gente lo pronuncian! Suena hermoso.

The construction of Hostel Tinktinkie.

2008-11-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

When we bought the land we were told that there was already water and we only had to pay the connection fee. This was in fact not the truth. We only realized this after we have bought the land and started to enquire from the local Municipality about the price to connect the water.It was an astronomical price! We had to pay almost 7000 pesos!. They wanted us to pay from the last connection point. The price included all material and labour. We could not afford it and it was also a matter of principal. If we paid for the connection of the water it would run directly in front of the land that the man whom we bought the land from wanted to sell. In principal I did not agree with this.

After a struggle we found two men who were willing to dig the hole. It was quit interesting how they looked for water. He used a piece of wood and showed us exactly where the water was running. I was a little sceptical at first but he guaranteed us that he will find water.They did! They found water at 16m and we asked him to go 2m deeper in case the water bed drops.

Digging this hole was no joke. I was amazed to see all the rocks that came out of this hole. In this picture you can see the soil and rocks that were taken out. We want to use the rocks to decorate around the house once construction is finished. I will post more pictures.

Digging the water hole

Building of the 2nd storey has also commenced. Here Andrey and I are standing in front of the first room or like we like to call it, Room one. You can also see the construction on the top floor where we will live.

Andrey in front of the house.

Nelieta in front of the house

I will keep you updated with how the construction is progressing. We are getting very excited!!!

Back view of the house.

Land Hunting!

2008-05-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Andrey and I were sitting in Buenos Aires one night and we were discussing what we were looking for in land. I remember our conversation very well. Andrey wanted land close to mountains and a river. We also wanted the land to be in a touristy part of Argentina but not too busy. We wanted to be in nature. We did discuss the possibility to buy a house and renovate it, but it would not be what we wanted. Andrey also loved getting involved in the actual building process.

We were talking to some friends and they told us about the Calamuchita Valley and in particular Santa Rosa De Calamuchita. It is a very popular holiday destination for locals. The Santa Rosa river runs through it, mountains on either side of the valley and a Mediterranean climate . I was already impressed. We bought a map and started to land hunt on the Internet. This was not an easy task. The reason was that prices advertised were not the true prices or some people never bothered to reply to emails. We started to make a list of all the land available and we made a short list. We narrowed it down to Merlo in the San Luis province and Santa Rosa De Calamuchita in the Cordoba Province. We made appointments with the land owners and set off to Carpinteria first. We were very close to Merlo and some smaller towns in the area.

I loved Carpinteria but it was a very small town. There was no bank or supermarket. There were a lot of land available but people wanted ridiculous prices. The nature was beautiful. I am sure in time this will become a very popular tourist destination but it did not quite suit our needs. We also met a German woman who wanted to sell a large piece of land but she was in no hurry to sell.

Villa Elena was really beautiful and unspoilt. But you had to drive in to Merlo every time you wanted something. Buses were also not passing on a regular basis. We spent the day hiking and enquiring about land. We had a wonderful time. We attended an art exhibition in Merlo the next day and then we spent one last day exploring Merlo. The weather changed rapidly and the next morning it was snowing!

We said goodbye to the San Luis province and left over the mountain to the Cordoba province.We both loved the town. We took a couple of trips to the surrounding towns and explored touristy places like Villa General Belgrano and La Cumbrecita. Now to find something that will suit our pockets!

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