My time in Argentina is coming to an end. I head back to Chile…and more importantly Patagonia. There is a part of me that would be OK with going home and having a bath BUT I do look forward to the next 5 weeks a lot and they deserve all the attention and happiness I have in store for them 😀
I left El Chaltén behind in exchange for Bariloche. It’s most famous for the 7 lakes road. There are many more in the area but the ruta nacional 40 is going along those ones.
I managed to rent a car for 2 days and with my tent in the backpack I expected some beautiful campsites along lakes. And I was not disappointed. True, those were not official sites and forbidden but no way that I will stay on an official campground with many other people. I wanted the solitude of the lakes and listen to the waves breaking along the shore. Something that let’s me sleep like a baby 😀
My point of return was San Martín de los Andes. A nice little town full of summer vacationers.
On impulse I decided to go to Mendoza instead of spending another night in Bariloche and do the hike I had downloaded.
I did spend 3 nights there but what I did is not worth mentioning really. I managed to go to one winery and taste 3 different wines. However, I am not much into the Argentinian wine. The Malbec is a bit, don’t know, acid for me. I really love the Rioja wines.
I tried unsuccessfully to obtain some flight tickets.
Another spontaneous idea and bus ride later I found myself in San Luis. The idea was to go the the Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas. However, just a couple of nights before, a storm hit the area and since this park is prone to flash floods they closed it.
On I went to Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina. I did like the center with its churches and Spanish colonial architecture. And finally a travel agency was kind enough to sell me some tickets, which meant I could see my final highlight for Argentina.
I only had to get to Salta with yet another bus. Yes, plenty of hours in the bus. So far over 72 hours spent in them and the nights are not always good. At some point I could not sit on my ass anymore 😉
On the bright side, it allowed me to read 17 books so far 😀 Mostly fantasy novels to keep my mind distracted.
Anyway, Salta has also some nice buildings and a great Plaza. In fact, sitting there during the evenings, sipping on my beer, it reminded me of Queretaro (Mexico). Not only because of the architecture but also due to the warm evenings.
It is close to Bolivia not only geographicall but also culturally. You see many more people with a slightly darker skin and the city is a bit crazier than the ones I have seen so far.
I managed to make some curious observations. Women, especially younger ones wear shoes that make them seem taller than they are in fact (not talking about high heels!). Lot of people earn their living by selling any kind of stuff (masks, socks, napkins…you name it) walking around the restaurants. And yes, there is also the odd beggar. I found the service quality and friendliness not really great. I mean it is not very common to say please and thanks. Strange! They use the formal address (usted) though. I don’t remember if that was the same in Chile. In España the informal one (tu) is used. The majority of the Argentinians has tattoos. You find it on places and people where it looks good and on others…well 😉
I did a tour to the Salinas Grandes (Salt sea) and el cielo de los siete colores (sky of 7 colors). While the tour was really long (12 hours) it was good to do something and see something different. I was happy that I did not rent a car as planned. Too much driving.
Finally, my first domestic flight. Otherwise it would have been another 20 hours bus ride. Thank you but no. So, after 2 hours I was in Iguazú. The final highlight for this part of the trip.
I had only one day and wanted to squeeze in seeing the falls from both sides (Brazilian and Argentinian). I took a helicopter ride in the morning. Those only leave from the Brazilian side. The border crossing however was really easy. On the way back there was a big line however. It is not due to the process but not having enough personnel (on purpose I guess). Anyway, exchange 150 USD for 10 minutes and you get to see the falls from above. It was really cool and I think I enjoyed the ride even more than the falls. I remembered that this was one of my youth dreams: becoming a helicopter pilot. I mean the maneuvers they can do are just freaking awesome. Don’t you agree?
Jumping back into the car it was time to get to the Argentinian side. The park was packed. Carnival is the next days and plenty of tourists around. On the Argentinian side are several walks and you can see the falls from different angles. But the best view for the main falls (Gargantas de diablo) is probably from the Brazilian side. The challenges were neither the people nor the hikes, it was the temperature. It was around 40 degrees and a nice humidity. Breath shallow and not move too fast. I don’t know how many times I thought it a good idea just to jump into the falls 😉 After having seen all 3 major falls (Iguazú, Niagara and Victoria) I cannot compare them. They all have a different beauty and I saw them in different stages in life. See for yourself:
What really blew my mind, as I was not expecting anything like this from her, is Buenos Aires. I mean this city has so much soul, vibe and awesomeness, it’s crazy. I fell in love with BA. If you know me then you know that I don’t love big cities, even less so to live. But I would love to live here for some time. I loved the Plaza Serrano, which is like the Soho in New York, just cooler! And then sipping a coffee at Plaza Durango. Cool. In between, all those buildings from an area where Argentina did much better.
I also went to a Tango show…you just have to do this here…and I totally enjoyed it. How lucky I am to experience Tango in Buenos Aires!
Not sure if the pictures do her justice but here they are:
So, life the last weeks was like a calm river and then suddenly exploded with a bang like a river over mighty falls. Now let’s see what awaits downriver 😉
Love,
Matthias