Mantenga Siempre la Calma!
We signed off as we left Salta in NW Argentina. From there we moved a bit further east and then headed south toward Córdoba, looking for a chiropractor for Kathy. We stopped in Jesús Maria, about 25 miles north of Córdoba. We had figured it might be easier to negotiate finding a chiropractor in a small-ish town rather than a huge city. Turned out to be easy. We went to the local hospital, explained the problem (me duela aquí, and point to my knee – rodilla), and the nurse knew exactly who to send us to. How cool was that!
When we got to Jesús Maria, we stayed in the area for over a week. Between appointments with the chiropraxia, we toured the area in short spurts. Our Argentine buddy, Mabelle, had waxed very enthusiastic about the area to the west and north of Córdoba, and we really wanted to see for ourselves. It was quite lovely; fall color was in full swing, and it was still warm during the day. The light had that quality it gets just before everything turns to grey.
We had a really good time. We took back roads through the hills and stopped in little towns. This area is a bit touristy in places, so we avoided the towns that seemed just too-too; yoga spas were a good indication we needed to move on. But there were many charming villages, the pyracantha bushes were full of berries (both red and orange-yellow), and the hillsides were lovely. We spent two days sitting atop a ridge where we could see all around us; no one came by, we sat in the sunshine; wow!
In addition to wandering the countryside, we also spent a few days just hanging out in Jesús Maria. We found ourselves liking this town more and more. It had plenty of services available and was quite modern, being so close to Córdoba. But it also had a good sense of itself and its own character. We noticed the police were really enforcing the traffic laws; people were actually stopping where they should and obeying the speed limits. A new traffic light had just been installed, and there were police on duty nearby giving people warning whistles when they whizzed through, unaware. We were given a warning when we stopped for a couple of seconds in a taxi parking area. Awesome! We are commenting on this because we have spent soooo much time in Argentina, home of the arrogant driver who ignores any and all signage. But not in Jesús Maria!
We finally left Jesús Maria and trucked on down into Córdoba. We were desperate for propane, and knew we could find it there. And for once the experience was, like, superb momma! We found the plant, the truck would be there in a couple of hours, he arrived, said “no trouble, man” and filled us and we were gone. Slick as a whistle. Damn!
Balcarce was noisy, but that was no surprise. Every Argentine driver is a Fangio in the making. After Rick finished communing with the ghost of Fangio himself, we turned north and headed for Buenos Aires. By now we had finalized our exit plans for removing ourselves and our rig from South America. We had contracted with a ship that would be leaving from Zarate, a port upriver from Buenos Aires, about June 15. So we were heading in that direction to start to get organized.
We were surprised at how much we were enjoying the area south and east of the Buenos Aires area. We had assumed that urban sprawl would cover the entire distance between Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata, the very major resort area south on the coast. But it was all rolling hills, cropland, and now very large cattle ranches, with trees every few miles. Apparently it was lambing season, as we saw lots of tiny babies, barely able to stand and in one instance still being licked by mama. Very pleasant.
The number of daylight hours is rapidly diminishing. On June 1 the sun came up just before 8:30, and it was dark by 6:00 or so. We may be moving north, but we are still 36 degrees south of the equator.
Over the next few days we checked in with our shipping company and finalized plans with them, poked around a bit, and also stopped in at the Buenos Aires clubhouse for the South American Explorers. We are very glad we are members. They allowed us to have our mail sent there (but that was the usual Argentina story…. post office wouldn’t deliver it; we would have to come pick it up, a several hour process). They also have an excellent book exchange and lots of advice on what to do/see/enjoy in Buenos Aires. Fun folks.
We had about a week of free time before we were going to need to drop off the truck at the dock, and we spent that time visiting Uruguay, which is right next to Argentina and easily accessed by ferry from right where we were parked.
Uruguay was a delightful surprise. It is, by the way, pronounced Oo-ru-wy. Or close to that. The country is often referred to as a “kinder and gentler Argentina.” Very similar but without any of the stress. People are polite and considerate, there are actually signs saying that pedestrians have the right of way, and the traffic signs are obeyed (the STOP sign really does mean stop). So right away we were very pleased.
We took the Buquebus ferry across the Rió La Plata from Buenos Aires to Colonia, billed as a 3-hour trip; well, it took five before they actually got docked and unloaded. Couldn’t figure it out, but we watched them hand-turn the ferry around in this dinky harbor, and spend over half an hour wiggling it until they had it positioned correctly. Would never have made the cut in British Columbia, that’s for sure! We had seen a sign on board the ferry bearing the title of this missive: “Mantegna Siempre La Calma”, and now we knew why. But finally we were off-loaded, released by customs (there went my goodies again) and turned loose.
Colonia is a charming small city with cobblestone streets, neat churches, lots of the afore-mentioned funky old cars, very clean and cute. It’s now June, and wintertime; the trees are all barren of leaves; the streets are quiet and there are few tourists; in the summer it would be a busy place. There were tons of banners up advertising the various slates for the elections to be held on the 28th of the month. How could anyone actually remember all these people?
Our general plan was to move east from Colonia to Montevideo (the capital), then on to the coast; we would move up the coast a ways towards the Brasilian border, then cut west across the middle of the country to the Argentine border, then back down to Buenos Aires.
We spent a delightful day in Montevideo; this is one of the nicest capital cities in South America. It’s a good walking city, with big wide streets and plenty of parking. We had a lovely sunny day there and we walked our feet off.
We wandered on, and checked out a cool fortress along the coast almost up to the Brasil border, in Santa Teresa NP. It was started by the Portuguese, then snatched by Spain. Poor Uruguay has had trouble finding its own identity through the centuries, having been fought over by both these other countries (to say nothing of Argentina’s designs); all this mostly because of the beef and leather trade, apparently.
As we got back closer to Montevideo we saw some small vineyards; it was even colder now (in the low 40’s) and the ground fog got thicker. We were not able to really enjoy what might have been visible, but it still was a very pleasant experience. We saw many very large cemeteries, with huge mausoleums; they aren’t limited to Recoleta in Buenos Aires! They were quite astounding.
We spent the next two days getting ready to ship, with all the throwing out of food, barricading points of entry, and everything else entailed in such a project, then delivered the Tiger to the port in Zarate, up river from Buenos Aires. Knowing that the port paperwork can be a huge hassle, we arrived the night before so that we could have a fresh start in the morning. “Fresh” wasn’t the half of it. We had planned to stay in a hotel in Zarate the night before delivery; couldn’t find one that had secure parking for the truck. So… we spent a last night in La Tortuga; a very cold night; it got down to 31 degrees outside (that’s -1 degree Celsius) – and 36 degrees inside the coach. We had no heat because our preparations to ship had piled large/heavy things in front of the switch. The morning was indeed “fresh.” In typical fashion, the morning news shows were all making a fuss over the “unseasonably” cold snap.
While waiting for our evening flight, we thought about Argentina and South America, and our experiences here.
We had spent longer in Argentina than in any other single country, about 4 months all-told. It is huge, and has so many interesting places to visit. It also proved to be “less” than we had expected in many ways. Many travelers list Argentina as one of their favorite countries for its wide-open spaces and scenic beauty, so perhaps our expectations were too high. We were troubled by more incidents of corruption than we had experienced in other countries. It turned out to be a difficult country for travelers to receive mail or shipments of repair parts for their vehicles as customs regulations are unnecessarily difficult. We were stopped for the inspection of our papers far more often than in other countries; we made the decision to steer completely clear of one province, Entre Rios, because of its well earned reputation for corrupt police. We also experienced our most major theft in this country and were warned about the dangers of being accosted and robbed in major cities, including Mendoza and Buenos Aires itself. All of that said, we have many wonderful memories of Argentina and its people. For us, though, our favorite countries remain those along the Andes: Chile in the south, and Peru, Ecuador and Colombia in the north.
South America has so many charms: being kissed on the cheek as a greeting (even by youngsters) in place of our cold north American handshake; the incredible beauty and gentle aura of the Andean cultures; the ease of getting very fresh fruits and vegetables; the charm of streets and towns named after people and important dates; fresh bread right around the corner; killer ice cream; and, of course, the use of kilometers: I love them because they go by so fast. There are nuisances, of course, as well: the crazy drivers and unsigned intersections; perfumed laundry detergent that stays on your clothes for days after you pick up the washing; the trash that permeates the roads in some countries; those nasty Aduana Iguanas. But these are all minor issues; we would (and will) go back as soon as we can.
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Our flights (from Buenos Aires to Mexico City and then on to the States) both left on time (yeah!), and having survived them, we arrived at noon the next day in Houston, Texas, to be greeted by a nice fellow with a deep East Texas drawl – culture shock in the extreme. Also, it was now mid-summer instead of mid-winter: 95 degrees and horribly humid. We went from the winter solstice to the summer solstice; from short days to ones where the sun was in our faces from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm. Welcome home, travelers!
La Tortuga will arrive in Jacksonville, Florida in mid-July. (Florida? In July? We really are out of our minds!) Our current plan is to remain in the United States until next spring. At that time we hope to once again venture forth out into the world as we ship ourselves and La Tortuga to Europe. Ever onward!
Rick and Kathy, sans Tortuga
Click here to view more pictures from Buenos Aires & Uruguay