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Published: September 26th 2005
We left Brazil & Uruguay behind us and have been in this huge country (Argentina) for the last 2 weeks. Most of the maps we are used to in the northern hemisphere underplay the size of this part of the Americas - it is truly immense.
Buenos Aires had a very southern European feel to it which was made all the more real by superb spring weather. On weekdays its a traffic clogged metropolis but we were charmed by its cafe society (ladies in fur coats amongst others meeting over coffee, tea & snacks at all times of day. All are welcome whether its just a beer you fancy or a full blown Argentinian steak, etc.). Sunday in BA sees a marked change - many of the main streets become pedestrian only and street markets abound (the most famous being in the San Telmo barrio (district) ... just one big antique fair!) with the population strolling. In the Recoletta barrio we found lots of parks with free impromptu concerts and most fascinating (or maybe unusual!) of all was the necropolis where thousands of Argentina´s late greats reside in terraces of mausoleums - most visitors seeking out Eva Peron´s last resting
place which is here.
After our few days in BA our next stop was the Valdes Peninsula (some 800 miles south) on the Atlantic coast. Here we were amazed to see Southern Right Whales spouting & basking within a few hundred yards of the shore - easily viewed from the promenade. It was even more exciting when we took a boat trip to view the biggest mammals up close! We then travelled 150 miles on dirt roads on the way to visiting the beaches where elephant seals & their pups congregate in their thousands at this time of year (and penguins too!!).
A quick visit to the town of Gaiman (centre of the Patagonian Welsh community) for a ´welsh tea´ complete with wooly knitted tea cosy ended our stay in mid-Argentina (Chubut province).
Next came another flight further south to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego (a.k.a. Fin del Mundo or ´end of the world'). In times gone by not many people came here voluntarilly - in fact Ushuaia was founded over a century ago as a penal colony for Argentina's undesireables but now there's a thriving tourist industry taking advantage of beautiful if rugged scenery with silent
lakes, forests & mountains virtually undisturbed by the 21st century. We sailed the Beagle channel (our most southerly point on the trip at nearly 56 degrees South) and saw more sealions & many birds which thrive on the rigours of this latitude, as well as the 'lighthouse at the end of the world'. Pertinently perhaps, we´ve been very lucky so far with the weather.
For our last stop in Argentina we travelled north again but this time only 500 miles to El Calafate - here we visited the Glaciers National Park. Words are somewhat inadequate to accurately describe the awesome sights but suffice it to say that sailing amongst massive icebergs that have just broken away from the ends of towering glaciers which flow down from the Andean Patagonian icefields (the third largest on earth after Antartica & Greenland) into Lake Argentina has left a lasting impression (plus many photos!!).
Our bus journey today has emphasised the vastness of Patagonia. We travelled for 5 hours across scrub-filled (otherwise barren) steppe where sheep & cattle roam & can occasionally be spotted along with rhea (small ostrich) & guanaco (small llama) - farms as we know them in England don't
Buenos Aires ... the 'grand prix' start in Ave 9 Julio
... a grand total of 20 lanes of traffic to get across this street!! exist ... what pass as fields here are at least 5-10 miles square!!
We've now arrived in Puerto Natales in Chile and will look forward to sharing the experiences to come in our next communication.
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