Pivoter pour une meilleure lecture
Villa Ventana / Bahia Bianca
Second programming: The " Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist "
This is located in the mountain range "La Sierra de la Ventana". In a few minutes we are transported to a Savoyard village with its wooden chalets.
After a visit to the tourist office to know the open hikes we try to find a bivouac for the night ... Mission impossible outside the exorbitant campsites, but we have no choice
The cold and rain lull our night.
In the early morning we are not very optimistic about our hike, the sky is dark grey ... However, the weather changes and the sun appears.
We chose a 2-hour hike named " Pelitonnes naturales ". We suffer for this first trip ... The stone lanes are very steep ...
On our way to the parking lot of the hike, we discover the "Ventana" or window that gave its name to the whole region. It is located above the hill. It is a natural geoformation 9 meters high, 5 meters wide and 12 meters deep.
After lunch we resume our descent to " Ushuaia "
Azul
A long road awaits us to reach " Ushuaia " and on a good part of the journey there are not many sites to visit. We decided not to schedule " Buenos Aires " and the beaches along the Atlantic Ocean to be at the right time in the " Peninsula de Valdes " to admire the aquatic fauna. Logically we should leave the continent " South American" by the capital of Argentina. Leaving our evening bivouac, our first stop is a few kilometers away: Lujan to visit the cathedral
This city was founded in the first half of the 17th century, Today it is a very important place of pilgrimage and is venerated by "Nuestra Señora de Luján", the patron saint of Argentina.
We drive the rest of the day through a monotonous landscape and on straight roads, it reminds us of the north of the USA.
Quiet bivouac in a gas station.
San Antonio de Areco
After a quiet night we fill up with water (drinking) and drain the wastewater. The service station that hosts us to install a service area for motorhomes.
It’s so rare that we had to report it!!!
Back in the city centre after a visit to "Carrefour" for fresh food
We meet the charming Western Union employee to get pesos.
Before leaving town, we buy a 25GB sim card for 30 days.
Our epic can continue. Next stop: San Antonio de Areco
Created around 1730, it is one of the most beautiful villages in the region according to tourist guides, known for its rural surroundings marked by estancias, dedicated to the breeding of cattle and horses.
One of the most enduring symbols of Argentina is the fearless gaucho, whose centuries-old tradition dates back to when the Spanish left their herds free in the grassy pampas. It’s the best place to discover the culture of these nomadic cowboys, horse trainers, cattle keepers and mate drinkers.
Upon arrival we are looking for a " Lavanderia " that we have trouble finding.
We are very well welcome by the staff of the gas station where we spend the night in the back of it in a green setting.
The next morning, we return to the city to look for our laundry, which is not ready, while we visit the small town.
* Museo Las Lilas: This museum houses a collection of watercolors, pastels, oils and posters by the emblematic artist of the Gaucho culture, Florencio Molina Campos (1891-1959). Through his work the life of the gauchos is told in an art close to the naive.
* Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Güiraldes: This museum dates from 1936 and is largely dedicated to Ricardo Güiraldes, author of the novel "Don Segundo Sombra", as well as to history and culture in general. The entrance is in a pulpería (tavern) recreated, as it would have been when it opened in 1850, while the main exhibitions of the museum are housed in a reproduction of a casco (ranch) of the eighteenth century.
We return to our bivouac from the day before after having picked up our clothes. Evening to schedule the rest of our trip.
Gualeguaychu
We have often crossed border posts since the beginning of our epic, but today we beat our speed record : 35 minutes!
We leave our bivouac early in order to go to the border city of Uruguay "Fray Bentos".
We have some Uruguayan pesos left and to avoid double change we stop at a supermarket.
We choose products that are authorized to import into Argentina. Sanitary measures are very strict, no dairy products, no meat, no vegetables and no fruits.
After lunch we cross the border. There are few people and all formalities are done on the Uruguayan side before crossing the bridge that crosses the "Rio Uruguay"
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Without getting out of the vehicle we go to the window of the "Immigration" post where exit and entry formalities are established. Then we park on a small parking and Christophe performs the steps to make the TIP Uruguayan and get the Argentinian TIP.
As in March 2023, our first step when arriving in Argentina is to look for a Western Union counter. The exchange rate is much better than in traditional bank ATMs. A difference that can go up to 25%.
Of course, the counter we had found changed address and once on site it had no liquidity. Unfortunately, this happens very often here.
Fortunately, the employee shows us another counter where we are lucky to get our pesos. We make an appointment for the next morning to renew the operation.
In the late evening, huge hailstones fall on the city and our poor camper.
ROAD BOOK 182
MAVROS ODYSSEE
