ROAD 40 FROM VILLA UNION TO CHILECITO

Linking Chilecito and Villa Union on Route 40 is one of the pleasures of traveling in La Rioja. As elsewhere in the Northwest, the north-south orientation of ridges and valleys makes west to east travel only possible by winding slopes invented by man. Where geography granted a chance, brave engineers who fought a duel with the law of gravity have drawn  impossible plans. Routes that where not supposed to exist are my favorite! The Argentine Northwest has plenty of this and the Cuesta de Miranda, as the gateway to the North, is a promising appetizer for those challengingRuta 40 from south to north. I thought about all this while the "Blogtrip La Rioja Team" left the Hotel Cañón del Talampaya in Villa Union, where we had spent the night and had breakfast. Before, we had sighted condors in the Quebrada del Condor and done the Talampaya bike tour ...

BEST CONDOR VIEWING SPOT IN ARGENTINA: QUEBRADA DEL CONDOR

 

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When the invitation arrived for the last blogtrip to La Rioja I could not stop smiling. The sighting of condors in the Quebrada del Cóndor was the first point of the route to be revealed. I was so happy, but what followed was even more interesting. The motto that La RIoja province was keen on promoting was "a return to the origins". I imagined -and then checked- that they were referring to the red walls of Talampaya and its prehistoric fossils. In my heart, however, I was preparing for a reunion with other kind of origins. Origins for me are not just a matter of time, but an attitude that undresses the scabs do not need. Every traveler needs those other sources: freedom, simplicity and serenity. The recent trip to often overlooked La Rioja province put me face to face with all three ...

USHUAIA: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE INTIMATE AND THE INFINITE

Why should a true traveler visit Ushuaia at least once in a lifetime? Following a recent invitation to a Blogtrip by the Argentinean Ministry of Tourism the present article focuses on this question.

How can some cities catch a spell on us when we spot their name on a map?   It may not be very poetic to test the strength of magic but on return to Ushuaia I decided to rush into such labyrinths of travelñ psychology. Why do travelers visit Ushuaia once and again through their lives? Laura and I  had first visited the city in November 2010 with a range of fuzzy dreams. We were grateful to the city, we had arrived with no expectations and, instead, we had ended up embarking to Antarctica.

What makes it worth traveling 3,040 miles to Ushuaia? Does a cold geographical record alone justify such a long trip? I should be sincere. Arriving on this this shy city on the Beagle Channel redefined my emotional cartography. I will  try to elucidate the essence of the magic of the world's southernmost city,  Argentina's other population on the other side of the Andes ...

OFF ROAD IN TIERRA DEL FUEGO: LAKES FAGNANO AND YEHUIN

When you wonder what to see and do in Ushuaia, the possible answers go far beyond sailing in the Beagle Channel and the walks in the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The Island has a heart dispersed among its lakes and forested valleys, we were lucky to explore. Things were not so bad:  we had a Land Rover with a guide, ceeded by the Blogtrip organizers. The land itself calls the four-wheel drive ...

We left very early and took National Route 3 towards north. The mountains of the Andes, which in this area are around 1450 meters high, had dawned snowy and a somewhat mysterious haze continued pinned to their summits. We were still driving on asphalt  and Laura and the other bloggers were comfortable and smiling in the backseat ...

EDUCATIONAL NOMADIC PROJECT IN SANTA FE AND FORMOSA

Lecturing in "Escuela Superior de Comercio nº46" in Santa Fe, in a rather rainy day. We honestly expected the boys to be bothered by our presence, since the absence of one of their teachers meant they could have gone home earlier, but everything went smooth and they became interested as soon as they noticed our subject was travelling, not chemistry!

 

As nomadic bees we followed Parana river upstream to reach Formosa, where we showed our pictures and told our story in the Escuela nº2, a tidy public school.

Learn here how to support our round the world hitch-hiking jouney aimed at education and literature!

FROM ROSARIO TO RESISTENCIA: THE PARANA AS A CULTURAL AXIS

After leaving Patagonia we head north towards Paraguay, visiting the Northeastern Argentinean provinces on the way. Rosario is famed for its bohemian riverside feel combined with its sophisticated atmosphere. MACRO Contemporary Art Museum, on the picture, is a good ilustration of Rosario's attitude towards conventions, as traditional agricultural structures are turned into pop art. Over 15 years of continuos socialist government may have something to do with the issue.

Rosario has also been nicked as the capital of sexual diversity. This mural was in the news last week, when annonymous hands washed it off the walls where activist Analí Chanquía had painted. Since the government itself encouraged the creation of a "boulevard of diversity" all suspects go towards conservative groups closer to the catholic church.

En route to Santa Fe we hitched a lift in this Fiat Strada pick up. The driver was low voiced and too respectful towards traffic lanes. It was raining on and off all the time but somehow we managed to make it dry all the way to Resistencia.

Christian and Western civilization - by León Ferrari

We arrived in Resistencia on March 24th, the anniversary of the military coup of 1976, date which inaugurated a dark period in Argentinean history. There was a colourful program of events been carried on in the new "Casa de las Culturas" (House of Culture). Besides local chamamé musicians there was an exhibition by world famous León Ferrari (above).

 

Obra de Milo Lockett

 

Resistencia and Chaco province alltogether are not precisely well known for the artistic skill of their men and women. But they should. Milo Lockett (above) is right now Argentina's best selling contemporary artist. Fundamentally, the city is known for holding a World Championship of Sculpture every two years. Winning works are installed across the city. Considering they live in a year round warm region it's surprising to learn that artists from Chaco have won several World Championships in Ice sculpture!

 

Our Couchsurfing hosts Andrés and Gustavo together with mica and Sara, two biologists making fieldwork deep in the Impenetrable forest. We talked for hours about those cultures being menaced by globalization and soybean.

 

When we made it to Formosa the calendar was showing its 28th leaf of March, which means it was my birthday. We were received by Lili, a friend of my family. She was able to put together some sort of celebration comprehending beer and ice-cream. We stayed four days in her comfortable airconed house, while getting ready to enter Paraguay.

ARRIVAL TO THE FANTASY ISLAND: FEELING COMFORTABLE IN USHUAIA

On the picture, waiting for a ride in Tolhuin. We would find a Peugeot 206 driving to Ushuaia. Our eyes gazed at forested priaries after one month of arid Patagonian step. We were just happy to step on the muddy roadside.

We had stayed overnight at a Chilean "Carabineros" border hut and boarded again Alejandro's Mercedes truck onto Rio Grande. On re-entering Argentina we learned by tuning Argentinean radio that the Nestor Kirchner, the former presiden had passed away during the previous night. So the day of the national census overlapped with an event most felt as a national tragedy. For us travellers the main event still was, we had arrived to Tierra del Fuego island, and wwere geting cloer to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

Ushuaia was originally founded in 1874 as an extreme national outpost. The government soon established a prision where many wanted criminals rooted to death. Soon many British anglicans came to attempt to civilize the native onas and yamanas. But rather contributed to their extinction by radically changing their lifestyle and introducing new diseases. Owner of large sheep ranches hunted the local indians down to prevent them from hunting their sheep. In this way the local universe was assassinated to give way to progress. The city lives has lived a touristic bok for the last 20 years. Incomes are higher than in the rest of the country. Many industries also profited from  lax tax regulations in Tierra del Fuego island, making the place a hub for quick fortune sickers. Labourers earn three times the national average, just to spend their money on large TVs and cars. Materialism is the mindset in the Fantasy island, despite the great landscapes. Landscape which is unreachable for them, since the price of the land rocketed and nobody can buy a house. Looking at the mountain slopes over the city you find holes in the forest, spaces squatted to build do-it-yourself houses.

There we met Juan Carlos, Eloisa and Esteban, three people who lived in a hared house. Esteban was a three times world champion of magic who had even worked in a Las vegas casino. But they were eclectic guys: they were also Red Cross volunteers and radio producers. They encouraged us not to give up our hopes of finding a vessel to Antarctica. Keep an eye on the blog to find out how the adventure evolve.

 

After travelling in flat Route 3 we are mesmerized at the sight of mountains....

Thanks to  Patagonia Adventur Explorer, were able to navigate the Beagle Channel for free. They enthusiasticaly  supported our attempt to travel the world for free.

Our original plan was to stay in Ushuaia for fivee days, a week at most. Different circumstances made us stay, however, for a month. One of these was the Book Fair. We took the chance and offered our books and postcards to visitors. The event helped us a lot to sustain the coming trip around Patagonia.

ESCAPING FROM THE CENSUS AT A CHILEAN POLICE STATION.

Reaching the southernmost point of our itinerary meant crossing into Tierra del Fuego, the souther tip of the continent. The land is divided between Argentina and Chile, so in order to get to Ushuaia, Argentina's last city you need to enter Chilean territory and travel through for over 200 km. At Rio Gallegos we got a ride in this brand new Mercedes truck...




Landscape at the Chilean side with sheep ranches in the back. At least we were seeing grass as part of the landscape...

At the border, our truck driver missed one document, so he had to backtrack 65 km to Rio Gallegos to print it from the internet. We were left alone at the border, where we tried to find other drivers, with no success. After one hour and a half, Alejandro -the driver- was back and we jumped in the Mercedes again.

Old lighthouse at Magallanes Strait.

When we reached the last Chilean post it was already dark and customs were closed. Much to our astonishment, our truck driver went himself and convinced the Chilean policemen from the "Carabineros" station to let us stay for the night, so they showed us the way to a large unheated house they used as depot. There we managed to fabricate a bed out of couches.

Our palace for the night... Since the national census counted those poeple who had slept in Argentinian soil on the night of the 27th of october, we were not on the list. A funny way to escape statistics!

The last Mercedes truck and the eternal kettle with hot water for the mate. Traditions are alive in spite of technology...

ENERGY EXCHANGE IN RIO GALLEGOS: THE STORY OF THE TRAVELLING AMBULANCE

We arrived to Rio gallegos with the plan of leaving the city on the following morning. Actually, our driver intended to continue his long drive south towards Tierra del Fuego after staying overnight at the YPF petrol station where he dropped us off. Indeed the driver was planning to camp! So we took a bus to downtown and knocked at the dor of our Couchsurfing hosts: Luciana and Alejandro. However, we ended up staying four nights. We were spelled by their energy. They arrived to Rio Gallegos as aprt of what they thought was a hitch-hiking trip arund the Latin America. hey had left their native Buenos Aires with overloaded backacks, nule thumbing experience and a lot of hope. When they got here they took the chance and sstarted working. Now their plan is to buy a small ground, as a little investment, before hitting he road again. As to remind themselves  their main porpouse is to travel, they bought a 1983 VW bus, an old ambulance from Pico Truncado.

An image of tidy Comandante Luis Piedrabuena, a Patagonian town where, if grass doesn'r grow, the town hall paints it green so the image you carry in your eyes and camera is still joyful...

Derelict ship from YCF (Yacimientos Carboníferos Fiscales), the old national coal company, privatized in 1994. Al across Patagonia we find remains of economic models that no longer rule. They stay for the postcard, as an aesthetic survivor...

ACCEPTING RIDES TO UNPLANNED TOWNS: DISCOVERING PUERTO DESEADO

So were hitch-hiking in the gloomy outskirts of Caleta Olivia when a Toyota pick up pulled by. We would have accepted the ride regardless its destination jus to evade walking with a front wind of 60 km/h... Anibal, the driver, was going towards Puerto Deseado, which implied a detour of 120 km from National Route 3. We were bound for San Julián, where we expected to give a conference at Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, but of course we said yes after Anibal arranged accomodation with a couple of phone calls.

 

Old Magallanic arquitecture at Jaramillo town, in the way to Puerto Deseado. Facón Grande, heroe of 1921 sheep farmers revolt, died in this dusty town.
 

Our backpacks were still in Anibal's truck when we jumped of to tell our story at Puerto Deseado main radio station.

 

Puerto Deseado' history is quite linked with the construction of a rail networked which aimed to reach Nahuel Huapi Lake on the Andes, but never went further than Las Heras. When the line was lifted people defended the reamins from ravaging politicians. They keep this wagon from 1898 as if it were new.

Puerto Deseado boasts the only lighthouse church of South America. Worth visiting, though it was impossible to climb the stairs due to the strong Patagonian winds.

When we told our story to the Tourist Office they didn't hesitate and honoured as with a free city tour in the Secretary of Tourism private car :-) Thomas Cavendish gave the town its name after his ship: Port Desire. Well, we didn't have any desire of reaching Port Desire, and maybe that's the key, not to harbour desires and just let the road and hitch-hiking guide you....

CONTRADICTIONS OF COMODORO RIVADAVIA EMIRATE....

A bird's eye view of Comodoro Rivadavia, an important Patagonian city renowned for being a hub for petroleum related industry. Most people have settled here just in order to make a finnancial difference and leave the city after working 5-10 years. Consequently the cities' atmosphere is a bit tense, since evverybody is busy making money...

 
Cacho gave us a ride in his Citroen C3 after waiting for some half an hour in a windsept service area. He too worked for a petroleum company.

Our wonderful hosts in Comodor Rivadavia had a whole room for Couchsurfers. There were four of us at a time. hey were Christians of the committed type, and they really meant what they preached. Actually, they wouldn't preach or speak about their beliefs unless asked. Pancho had immigrated from Peru decades ago, and now presided this great multicultural family!

 
Cliffs around Rada Tilly, 12 km away from Comodoro Rivadavia. Former wild areas are being urbanized, so the rich oil aristocracy can live far away from the urban chaos and breathe pure air they arguably don't deserve. Working class may be barred from frequenting certain areas developers are quickly turning into private neighborhoods.

SPILLING AT A TECPETROL OILFIELD

The dark side of driving your car... After reading optimistic points of view at Puerto Madryn's wildlife interpretation center it's funny to see this video, occurring in Patagonia, not too far away. At the interpretation center we could see the logos of Total, a multinational oil company, sponsoring a center aimed to arouse awareness of ecological issues.

SOME IMAGES OF PUERTO MADRYN...

Laura and I arrived to Puerto Madryn with the depth belief that anecdotes would be connected with the amazing wildlife. We would be surprised to know that the main event would have to do with the people we met...




Since Laura had worked for 4 years at a travel agency we managed to get the whale watching tours for free...



Penguin barely bothered at the human presence in Punta Tombo.

At Puerto Madryn we were hosted by Karina and Marcelo's family. Marcelo and Patricio were both basketball coaches, and the entire family spinned around that sport, with both children shortlisted for the provincial team. Karina's family found in us inspiration for their own hunt for freedom, while we really appreciated the family atmosphere and care.

Karina helped me to print the original manuscript of my new book, "Vagabonding in the Axis of Evil" available to order from this site. Clic on the menu tab "THE BOOK"...



ALUAR is a aluminium factory which pollutes Puerto Madry's waters to the point scientists have found bisexual snail among other out-of-catalogue species... People justify the struggle by saying the plant has employs a sizable workforce and has allowed the town to grow into a city.