A variety of birds

We always see a lot of different bird species at the Hostel. I must admit that many of the birds I don`t know by name. Over the years I have watched them carefully and many birds come back and make a nest in the same place than the previous year.

This year I have seen new birds that I haven`t seen before. A couple of weeks ago we heard a noise outside and I saw a group of birds in the grass. They were busy with something. I grabbed my camera and tried to sneak up on them.

This was easier said than done because they were very alert and kept on looking. They were definitely busy eating something. I moved closer but two of them flew away.

I fired a couple of shots and eventually they all flew away. We went closer to have a look what they were eating - fruits.

After all of that commotion I still don`t have a name for these birds. If somebody knows, please let me know. I will appreciate it.

We often get visitors at Hostel Tinktinkie that are bird watchers. It is so lovely to be able to live close to nature and to see these beautiful birds. That is where they belong. In the wild and free as a bird.

For more information about special offers please visit our website or our Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/HostelTinktinkie

Ps. No birds were harmed or injured in the shooting process.

Read more »

Happy Birthday!

We are celebrating our 3rd birthday today (opened in 2009) and we would like to thank all our valued guests for another exciting year!

Ha sido tres años (2009) desde que abrimos y gracias a nuestors valiosis clientes fue un otro año my emocionante!


We are looking forward to entering our 4th season at Hostel Tinktinkie!

Read more »

Winter in the Calamuchita Valley

Andrey and I took a walk down to the river yesterday afternoon. It was our first walk since we came back from Russia. We missed most of the winter this year and in a month from now it will be Spring. I am looking forward to that.

Unfortunately we have to get through August and the winds that are blowing. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to take a walk. No wind! But during the day is a different story. I have grown accustomed to the wind because we also have terrible August winds blowing in South Africa. Here in the valley it is a different kind of wind. It is icy!

 To get back to my walk. I love walking down to the river. It is only 300m from Hostel Tinktinkie and such a nice walk. It is still very dry but I was surprised to see that we have a lot of water in the river. We took some photos and I breathed the fresh and clean air. Roll on summer! Last night I posted this photo on our Facebook Fan Page and many of our visitors responded. I am including some of the responses here.

que hermoso!!!!!!! ya quiero volver y descanzar...

No podria poner mejor imagen, volvere asi q pueda me encanto este paraiso

I remember that bridge!

Judging from the comments, visitors have fond memories of this bridge. We hope that future visitors will also enjoy this beautiful part of Argentina!

Read more »

A moment in time!

{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!

Read more »

A moment in time!

{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!

Read more »

A moment in time!

{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!

Andrey and his first friend in Argentina - Hugo!

Read more »

Exploring Santa Rosa de Calamuchita by bicyle

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!

Read more »

Christmas wishes from Hostel Tinktinkie!

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!

Read more »

A Moment in Time!

{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!

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

Read more »

A Logo for Hostel Tinktinkie!

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.

Do you like our Logo?
	Yes
	No
	Can do better
pollcode.com

Hostel Tinktinkie en Santa Rosa de Calamuchita

Read more »

The rain is here!

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!

Read more »

Hostel Tinktinkie - Santa Rosa de Calamuchita - Córdoba -Argentina

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!!!

Read more »

Places to visit: Via Crucis Hiking route

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.

Read more »

Greetings from Hostel Tinktinkie!

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

Read more »

Amazing sunsets in the Calamuchita Valley!

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

Read more »

Snow in July!

 
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

Read more »

Andrey's Birthday!

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!

Read more »

January 2010 newsletter

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

Read more »