Gone West! (Neuquen)

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Wed 7th Nov:
´Had an uneventful coach journey on Monday night (not even fireworks!). Managed to get a couple of hours sleep and arrived in Neuquen just before 5:00 am, with a picturesque dawn breaking over the city. The coach station was massive and very new, but without a tourist information centre. ´Had a cup of coffee and a few "facturas dolces" (small sweet croissants) and phoned some hotels re accommodation; however they were all fully booked (first time since arriving in SA). Eventualy managed to get a room in a cheap hotel (Residential Ingles ... ironic!). ´Got a taxi to the hotel, to be met at the gated entrance of it by a sweet little old Polish lady in her nightdress covered with a fur coat! She turned out to be the owner and told me she had been running the hotel for the last 48 years. I have a large room with 3 beds in it - good value for money... but no breakfast. After a few more hours sleep and a shower I had brunch in the city and a wander around the city centre; ´found the tourist information centre where I got plans, maps and a guide of the city - very helpful.
Neuquen is a young city (just over 100 years) with a population of 300,000 and is the capital of the region. It grew up around the railway and was a strategic location at the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Neuquen. It´s very well planned - grid system with the railway cutting through the middle one way and a wide tree-lined boulevard splitting it in the other direction; it´s difficult to get lost in it. The main hub of activity happens around the microcentre and fades as you travel towards the suburbs. The centre gets very crowded especially between 4:30 and 8:30 when everyone seems to be on the streets. Many of the landmark buildings seem to lack the creative architectural touch found in many older cities. However, as I have only had a short time in the city I may be prejudging it. Unlike Bahia Blanca there are many indigenous and mixed-race people about; lots of the street stalls (of which there are many) are run by "indians". A lovely ribbon-like central park runs along the south side of the railway line and the centre is littered with boutique shops, some around tastefully designed courtyards and petite gardens.
The weather seems slightly warmer here than in B. Blanca (around 25 C); if it keeps up I´ll go back to summer clothes. I hope to spend another day or two here and then head for Viedma.

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Photos

The Railway Line
The line cuts right through the centre of the city, however it is no longer used for passenger transport, only cargo.

City Museum
The city museum stands next to the railway tracks as it is the original building which was the home of the railway guard in the early 1900s.

Tree-lined Boulevard
This tree-lined boulevard ran down the middle of the city.

San Martin Monument
Monument to San Martin in the city centre.

City Cathedral
The building is fairly recent; the original church, which remains beside the cathedral, was turned into a library.

Comments

[Agustin]

Joe, I hope you´re enjoying the rest of your trip. I´ve already seen the photos. They´re absolutely fantastic. I laughed at the one I´m with the armadillo. It´s really funny. The trip was amazing. I´m pleased to know that you liked Neuquen. However, you should have visited some southern villages of the province which are filled with fantastic landscapes -really high mountains and crystal water lakes-. I hope we keep in touch. Agustin (or simply Austin!)