It has become a personal quest to find "Argentina tranquilla". Vance does not think it exsits but Lesley remains optimistic.
examples:
1. Tranquillo in Chascomus. We have been staying with our friends Gustavo and Carina in a quiet town south of Buenos Aires. It is a friendly, sleepy town with one exception. Our first night, we go to bed early becuase we were weary from travel. In bed by 9, but at exactly 10 PM, the volunteer fire brigade test their sound equipment, I mean every night at 10. The timing is more accurate than the atomic clock in Ottawa. These sirens start the dogs bartking incessantly. See also points 2 and 3 as regards dogs.
2. Tranquillo: Camping in the small village of M. we find the lcoal camp grounds and the owner says "yes, it is a very quite town" "si moy, moy tranquillo!". We set up our tent and within a half hour, the town dogs begin to bark and bark and bark. They really do bark all night. The local karate club practiced at the camp ground while we ate our supper. Yes moy trnaquillo. Lesley gets a good night sleep none the less.
3. Tranquillo: We camp beside the river in Tilcara. we set up our tent and within a half hour the dogs begin to bark, and bark and bark. They bark all night. The highway we realize is on the other side of the river. Vance hears traffic and airbrakes of transport trucks all night. Lesley gets a good nights sleep, wakes up rested only to find a red-eyed monster ready to sacrifice all dogs within a 30 km radius.
4. Tranquillo: We camped beside a river at the entrance to Callilegua National Park, there is no one else around, not one person. The night is quiet but we are awaken at 7:00 am to the sound of heavy machinery building a bridge across the river. Even Lesley lost sleep this night but none the less gets up to watch birds.
5. Tranquillo: Tilcara and the region is a truly wonderful part of Argentina. The local word of the nightspot for traditional music is "pena". They are usually cozy places with great local talent, and in this region, especially andino trad! After a great BBQ in the tranquillo camping ground, we make it to the pena around 10 PM. This is the usual early time for a show or supper in Argentina. Not in Tilcara, we hear one song and that's it. Bar was tranquillo.
6. Tranquillo. True tranquility is possible in Argentina. You have to rent a car and specifiy only one requirement: that the CD player works. We did this in Salta. The first CD inserted was mangled and scratched by the CD player. The following 10 days driving around in the Quebrada de Humahuaca and Q. de Cafayate were simpy tranquillo.
7.tranquillo: When discussing tranquillo with a friend here in Argentina, he said with out missing a beat, "we are tranquillo in our minds." Claro!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Disclaimer
1. Although this blog is published by both Vance and Lesley, the opinions expressed here in may not reflect the opinions of both persons.
2. All facts published in this blog may not in fact be facts. Please verify all facts contained in this blog before quoting as fact.
2. All facts published in this blog may not in fact be facts. Please verify all facts contained in this blog before quoting as fact.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Iguazú
Another day, another bottle of wine, another natural wonder. Ahhh life is good.
Iguazú is one of those places where the world meets. You can hear every language and you can see every type of person here. We have all come for the same thing to view the spectacular falls. I don’t know so much about the falls like how much water goes over in a day or how large they are. I have been enjoying my trip too much to read up or ask too many questions. I did ask one question though, “has anyone ever gone over the falls in a barrow or walked a tight rope over the falls?” I only got strange looks and an uncertain ‘no’.
Vance planned this part of the vacation and I was happy just to go along with what he had planned and I looked forward to seeing the birds of the area. I laughed histarically when upon entering the park the attendant said "Chuck Norris!, Pero mas gordo". It´s been a while since someone called Vance Chuck. Vance was insulted, I wonder if Chuck would be.
We walked around the park which is very well organized, the most organized area of Argentina in my experience. It has to be to handle the number of visitors to the park. We took an exciting boat ride under the falls which completely drenches everyone, we walked the trails, rode the small train, looked at the birds and lizards and coatis. Finally we walked out to the Garganta del Diablo and I was absolutely blown away! I don’t think I have ever seen such a beautiful sight as I did yesterday staring down into the falls.
The falls are horseshoe shaped and the volume of water pouring down is immense. You cannot see the bottom of the falls for the mist that rises up from below and creates a perfect rainbow below us. The Great Dusky Swifts of Iguazú are everywhere, hundreds fill the air, the mist and the water, flying in circles, then in streams, in unison then haphazardly. I imagine that entry into paradise must look like this, rainbows, mist and birds to great you, what troubled me was I was gazing down into the devil´s throat.
Iguazú is one of those places where the world meets. You can hear every language and you can see every type of person here. We have all come for the same thing to view the spectacular falls. I don’t know so much about the falls like how much water goes over in a day or how large they are. I have been enjoying my trip too much to read up or ask too many questions. I did ask one question though, “has anyone ever gone over the falls in a barrow or walked a tight rope over the falls?” I only got strange looks and an uncertain ‘no’.
Vance planned this part of the vacation and I was happy just to go along with what he had planned and I looked forward to seeing the birds of the area. I laughed histarically when upon entering the park the attendant said "Chuck Norris!, Pero mas gordo". It´s been a while since someone called Vance Chuck. Vance was insulted, I wonder if Chuck would be.
We walked around the park which is very well organized, the most organized area of Argentina in my experience. It has to be to handle the number of visitors to the park. We took an exciting boat ride under the falls which completely drenches everyone, we walked the trails, rode the small train, looked at the birds and lizards and coatis. Finally we walked out to the Garganta del Diablo and I was absolutely blown away! I don’t think I have ever seen such a beautiful sight as I did yesterday staring down into the falls.
The falls are horseshoe shaped and the volume of water pouring down is immense. You cannot see the bottom of the falls for the mist that rises up from below and creates a perfect rainbow below us. The Great Dusky Swifts of Iguazú are everywhere, hundreds fill the air, the mist and the water, flying in circles, then in streams, in unison then haphazardly. I imagine that entry into paradise must look like this, rainbows, mist and birds to great you, what troubled me was I was gazing down into the devil´s throat.
Cafayate
Rain in the cloud forest cut our trip a day short. The road turned to a slick mud that caused our wee car to slip and slide. On those mountain roads with drops within inches, we were afraid for our lives! We tried to warn other drivers of the dangers but they did not understand us. They spoke only their native language. We realized that they were likely proficient in these conditions but put them on the ice and snow of Canada and watch out!
We headed south again in what turned out to be another beautiful day with clear blue skies and a plus 30 temp. We decided to head to Cafayate Argentina’s other wine region. Once again we were in awe of the spectacular scenery! Mountains mainly of a reddish mud but green with vegetation. The lush river valley below was bright green as the spring rains had refreshed the area recently. Again, every turn in the road brought something new to see. Rounding one corner we came to Casa del loros the air was full of burrowing parrots and the cliffs full of holes which the parrots use as nesting sites. Fascinating!
Cafayate was a total delight! We spent the day visiting the wineries, tasting and testing the regions best. This region is known for Torrontes a special white wine that is fruity and citrus with a delightfully refreshing aroma and taste. We sampled a lot of it. Wandering around the town we discovered a Peña (live local music) and had one of the most memorable nights of our trip.
We were a little unsure how it was going to end because it began a little unusually. We arrived late but were the only ones in the restaurant. The music was to begin at 9 pm and it was already 9:30. “yes, yes the music begins at 9!” we were assured. Finally at 10 someone puts on a CD. We had asked if there was music but not whether the music was live. We were worried.
They did not have the wine we ordered so our young waiter showed us the wine selection and we choose one. He handed the bottle to Vance and promptly disappeared. We sat at our table and looked at the sealed bottle thirstily for many many minutes. Vance finally went looking for him to ask him to open the bottle. No corkscrew could be found in the place and the young fellow left to borrow or buy one. When he finally returned he proceeded to stab at the cork (the cover intact) in a way that demonstrated he had no idea what he was doing. Could this be? Could it be that our waiter in a wine region had never opened a bottle of wine before? It was hilarious actually. Vance demonstrated how to open a bottle of wine, asked for wine glasses and finally we are able to begin our evening.
Our appetizer nver arrived, potatoes came before our meat, we had to take the plates off another table, our dishes were never cleared, our second bottle of wine was opened like the first, but the food was delicious, two other couples arrived, the live music eventually started and the evening turned out wonderfully and ended late. Two fellows on guitar and singing local traditional songs of travel and family, love and loss, it was fantastic. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but they eventually got me on stage to play and sing a Canadian folksong and we realized that we were not the only Canadians in the place. By the end of the evening we were all friends and singing and drinking wine together. It was a really fun night. As for our charming young waiter, he was singing and enjoying the evening with the rest of us, and I hope that one day he will eventually find his calling, for it surely is not waiting tables.
We headed south again in what turned out to be another beautiful day with clear blue skies and a plus 30 temp. We decided to head to Cafayate Argentina’s other wine region. Once again we were in awe of the spectacular scenery! Mountains mainly of a reddish mud but green with vegetation. The lush river valley below was bright green as the spring rains had refreshed the area recently. Again, every turn in the road brought something new to see. Rounding one corner we came to Casa del loros the air was full of burrowing parrots and the cliffs full of holes which the parrots use as nesting sites. Fascinating!
Cafayate was a total delight! We spent the day visiting the wineries, tasting and testing the regions best. This region is known for Torrontes a special white wine that is fruity and citrus with a delightfully refreshing aroma and taste. We sampled a lot of it. Wandering around the town we discovered a Peña (live local music) and had one of the most memorable nights of our trip.
We were a little unsure how it was going to end because it began a little unusually. We arrived late but were the only ones in the restaurant. The music was to begin at 9 pm and it was already 9:30. “yes, yes the music begins at 9!” we were assured. Finally at 10 someone puts on a CD. We had asked if there was music but not whether the music was live. We were worried.
They did not have the wine we ordered so our young waiter showed us the wine selection and we choose one. He handed the bottle to Vance and promptly disappeared. We sat at our table and looked at the sealed bottle thirstily for many many minutes. Vance finally went looking for him to ask him to open the bottle. No corkscrew could be found in the place and the young fellow left to borrow or buy one. When he finally returned he proceeded to stab at the cork (the cover intact) in a way that demonstrated he had no idea what he was doing. Could this be? Could it be that our waiter in a wine region had never opened a bottle of wine before? It was hilarious actually. Vance demonstrated how to open a bottle of wine, asked for wine glasses and finally we are able to begin our evening.
Our appetizer nver arrived, potatoes came before our meat, we had to take the plates off another table, our dishes were never cleared, our second bottle of wine was opened like the first, but the food was delicious, two other couples arrived, the live music eventually started and the evening turned out wonderfully and ended late. Two fellows on guitar and singing local traditional songs of travel and family, love and loss, it was fantastic. I’m not quite sure how it happened, but they eventually got me on stage to play and sing a Canadian folksong and we realized that we were not the only Canadians in the place. By the end of the evening we were all friends and singing and drinking wine together. It was a really fun night. As for our charming young waiter, he was singing and enjoying the evening with the rest of us, and I hope that one day he will eventually find his calling, for it surely is not waiting tables.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Calilegue National Park
After the rains of the desert we head to the cloud forest of Calilegue National Park. Our guidebook describes Calilegue as having amongst the highest biodiversity in the country. I was excited to do some serious bird watching and as we drove into the park a flock of toucans landed in a tree in front of us.
We set up camp overlooking the river surrounded by trees. Dusk brought many sounds and the biodiversity was more apparent in the dark than the light. The air was filled with a cacophony of hums, buzzes, trills, chirps, whistles, screeches, squawks, whirs, beeps, burps and farts. Well at least the last two noises I knew the origin (Vance!). I decided to go for a walk as dusk set in to see if I could spot any night jars, frog mouths, goat suckers or owls. As I walked alone down the mountain road with all those noises surrounding me, I saw two shining green eyes in the woods. Watched them intently and was surprised when only one eye began slowly moving away from the other. What type of cross-eyed animal could this be? As it moved across the road in front of me I realized it was fireflies! Vance later caught one and they are about two inches long with two large spots of light. They move slowly and brightly around the forest.
In addition to the beautiful plush-caped jays with their blue eyebrows that give them a sympathetic expression, we were visited that evening by agouti (medium sizes rodent) and a grey fox that lurked in the darkness near our camp hoping for scraps of food. Vance cooked his now famous lemon chicken on the open fire and after a bottle of delicious red wine; we slept to the sounds of the sub-tropical forest.
While you were all suffering from the cold of a Canadian winter, Vance and I suffered the heat, humidity and mosquitoes of the cloud forest. It was so hot (37 degrees) that during the heat of the day we decided to explore the mountain roads via air conditioned car. As we climbed the switchback mountain roads we stopped and bird watched and simply enjoyed the astounding scenery. The forest stretched to the horizon in various green punctuated with the colours of the flowering trees of the spring. Finally we came to a rickety bridge that crosses a small mountain river. Parrots were flying overhead and a few people had gathered to talk and swim in the fresh cool pool. Vance and I stopped to join them and were soon in animated conversations about our adventures and plans. After a swim in the cold refreshing water we were invited to dinner by a local family.
Francisco and his family were very generous in their hospitality. We enjoyed a wonderful evening of conversation, asado and wine. Their house was lovely with a special room on the back for entertaining that had an asado (large grill with open fire) built in. They also showed us their horno a type of traditional outdoor clay oven used to bake bread, empanadas etc. Pamela the daughter proclaimed that her father was an expert at asado and we had to agree the food was plentiful and delicious! It was a very special evening for us. Once again Argentina hospitality is beyond compare!
We set up camp overlooking the river surrounded by trees. Dusk brought many sounds and the biodiversity was more apparent in the dark than the light. The air was filled with a cacophony of hums, buzzes, trills, chirps, whistles, screeches, squawks, whirs, beeps, burps and farts. Well at least the last two noises I knew the origin (Vance!). I decided to go for a walk as dusk set in to see if I could spot any night jars, frog mouths, goat suckers or owls. As I walked alone down the mountain road with all those noises surrounding me, I saw two shining green eyes in the woods. Watched them intently and was surprised when only one eye began slowly moving away from the other. What type of cross-eyed animal could this be? As it moved across the road in front of me I realized it was fireflies! Vance later caught one and they are about two inches long with two large spots of light. They move slowly and brightly around the forest.
In addition to the beautiful plush-caped jays with their blue eyebrows that give them a sympathetic expression, we were visited that evening by agouti (medium sizes rodent) and a grey fox that lurked in the darkness near our camp hoping for scraps of food. Vance cooked his now famous lemon chicken on the open fire and after a bottle of delicious red wine; we slept to the sounds of the sub-tropical forest.
While you were all suffering from the cold of a Canadian winter, Vance and I suffered the heat, humidity and mosquitoes of the cloud forest. It was so hot (37 degrees) that during the heat of the day we decided to explore the mountain roads via air conditioned car. As we climbed the switchback mountain roads we stopped and bird watched and simply enjoyed the astounding scenery. The forest stretched to the horizon in various green punctuated with the colours of the flowering trees of the spring. Finally we came to a rickety bridge that crosses a small mountain river. Parrots were flying overhead and a few people had gathered to talk and swim in the fresh cool pool. Vance and I stopped to join them and were soon in animated conversations about our adventures and plans. After a swim in the cold refreshing water we were invited to dinner by a local family.
Francisco and his family were very generous in their hospitality. We enjoyed a wonderful evening of conversation, asado and wine. Their house was lovely with a special room on the back for entertaining that had an asado (large grill with open fire) built in. They also showed us their horno a type of traditional outdoor clay oven used to bake bread, empanadas etc. Pamela the daughter proclaimed that her father was an expert at asado and we had to agree the food was plentiful and delicious! It was a very special evening for us. Once again Argentina hospitality is beyond compare!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Salta and Jujuy
Vance and I are now in the northern provinces of Salta and Jujuy. Wow! The scenery here is spectacular! Every turn of the road brings a different view of mountains sculpted by wind, rain, and time into rugged and remote pillars, reminiscent of pipe organs. Hillsides and cliffs are dotted with cactus and other spiny plants wherever they can get a foothold. After meager rains, the desert in bloom is a brief treat to behold and we are fortunate to experience it during our passing visit. While cactus flowers add sporadic yellows and fuchsias to the landscape, it is the layers of exposed sedimentary rock that provide magnificent colours to the area. The region is a world heritage site because of the small communities of Quechua people scattered throughout the mountains who maintain traditional ways of life and the Spanish colonial architecture of the more accessible towns.
Our destination of Iruya requires a 2 and a half our car ride along dry riverbeds and gravel switchback roads with steep mountain cliffs to a maximum of 4000 meters. The journey is a hair raising but the scenery is breathtaking, the coca we are chewing helps us with our nerves and altitude and occasionally there is a young by who seemed to walk out of nowhere to tell us we are on the right path and ask for money to by a bit of bread form where, I have no idea. We finally reach Iruya a gorgeous pre-Columbian village of narrow and steep cobblestone roads and rock and adobe buildings. We are welcomed by a spectacular full double rainbow that stretches across the mountain tops.
We spend the next day walking in the mountains and encounter people on their way to the weekend market. Some have been walking for 8 hours but all are friendly and willing to speak with us. The women in particular maintain a traditional dress with wide brim felt hats, colourful shawls and dresses. One old woman intrigued by my binoculars stopped to talk with me. I will always remember the life and depth in her eyes as we spoke. She seemed to transgress age and time. Her family has lived in this remote area for generations and centuries. They have experienced and survived the Inca and Spanish invasions, and now the Canadians!
Our destination of Iruya requires a 2 and a half our car ride along dry riverbeds and gravel switchback roads with steep mountain cliffs to a maximum of 4000 meters. The journey is a hair raising but the scenery is breathtaking, the coca we are chewing helps us with our nerves and altitude and occasionally there is a young by who seemed to walk out of nowhere to tell us we are on the right path and ask for money to by a bit of bread form where, I have no idea. We finally reach Iruya a gorgeous pre-Columbian village of narrow and steep cobblestone roads and rock and adobe buildings. We are welcomed by a spectacular full double rainbow that stretches across the mountain tops.
We spend the next day walking in the mountains and encounter people on their way to the weekend market. Some have been walking for 8 hours but all are friendly and willing to speak with us. The women in particular maintain a traditional dress with wide brim felt hats, colourful shawls and dresses. One old woman intrigued by my binoculars stopped to talk with me. I will always remember the life and depth in her eyes as we spoke. She seemed to transgress age and time. Her family has lived in this remote area for generations and centuries. They have experienced and survived the Inca and Spanish invasions, and now the Canadians!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Patagonia
The adventure continues in Patagonia. Vance and I and the Somoza´s meet up in Trelew in Patagonia. My first question was what defines Patagonia? I thought this wasn´t a hard question to answer but I had asked a number of different people and aside from inciting lively discussions on geophysical, ecoregions, tourim marketing, political boundries etc, there was no clear consensus. The most likely explanation is that Patagonia is the former territory of the Patagon people, so named for their exceptionally large feet.
Patagonia is actually a very large area covering several provinces extending from the Pampas to north of Tierra del Fuego. It conjers images of glaciers, mountains, forest and other rugged landscapes but here in Penninsula Valdes, the landscape is arid, flat, dusty, covered in prickley shrubs in a landscape that goes on and on and on.. The attraction of this particular area is the Penninsula itself which juts into the Atlantic Ocean and is a world heritage site because of the abundance of wildlife.
The coastline offers spectacular views alternating between miles of sandy beaches and rocky cliffs. We went whale watching one day and were impressed by the Southern Right whales feeding just off the coast. This is the tail end of the season for whales but we werer not disappointed as only mothers and babys left to feed in the rich warm waters. Unlike the endangered Northern Right Whale of Canada's East coast who's total population is dwindling between 250 and 300, the Southern Right Whale is increasing by about 7% a year! Amazing for such a large mammal. Hunted to within about 3000 individuals the population is now aorud 15,000. Still a far cry from the historical high of 150,000 but positive non-the-less.
Not all is rosy, however. Within the last 7 years due to a high kelp gull population and decreased natural food sources, some of the gulls have developed an alternative feeding strategy. They attack the backs of the whales with their bills and cause small leisons. They continue to pick at these leisons creating wounds which they feed on, literally eating the whales alive! Astounding! This parastic behaviour has caused the whales to alter their feeding habits and some have developed postures such as arched backs as they try to evade the gulls. Biologists are studing this problem intently. They have two main questions 1) Is it only a select few gulls who have developed this strategy and are causing all the problems? If they are removed from the population will this curtail the problem? 2) Are the gulls damaging healthy skin or are they attracted to exsisting skin irritations such as small leisons, blisters or other signs of diseased skin? If this is the case there may be a larger problem for the whales. It was very interesting to see and learn about the whales.
The next day we carried on and visited the giant, stinky beach slugs otherwise known as elephant seals. The males are absolutely enourmous! The females quite a bit smaller. All were loitering on the beach rocks impervious to the fierce patagonian winds and oblivious to our gauwking and squawking. We did see a couple of young males sparing as training for later matchs to win lordship over the harims of females.
More seafood and more wine was on the menu in Patageonia. I've never had such plump, tender, tasty shrimp as here. Kingclip, ratfish, squid to rival the squid of South Africa and pulpitos, mmmm, the pulpitos were supurb! I never cared much for octopus although I have optomistically tried it many times. Always too chewy and just not to my taste, but the small octopus here are amazing! I felt a bit bad about eating so many of them. They are such charming and charismatic animals when live.
Stay tuned for photos. They are difficult to post from these internet cafe computers.
Hope all is well at home.
Lesley and Vance
Patagonia is actually a very large area covering several provinces extending from the Pampas to north of Tierra del Fuego. It conjers images of glaciers, mountains, forest and other rugged landscapes but here in Penninsula Valdes, the landscape is arid, flat, dusty, covered in prickley shrubs in a landscape that goes on and on and on.. The attraction of this particular area is the Penninsula itself which juts into the Atlantic Ocean and is a world heritage site because of the abundance of wildlife.
The coastline offers spectacular views alternating between miles of sandy beaches and rocky cliffs. We went whale watching one day and were impressed by the Southern Right whales feeding just off the coast. This is the tail end of the season for whales but we werer not disappointed as only mothers and babys left to feed in the rich warm waters. Unlike the endangered Northern Right Whale of Canada's East coast who's total population is dwindling between 250 and 300, the Southern Right Whale is increasing by about 7% a year! Amazing for such a large mammal. Hunted to within about 3000 individuals the population is now aorud 15,000. Still a far cry from the historical high of 150,000 but positive non-the-less.
Not all is rosy, however. Within the last 7 years due to a high kelp gull population and decreased natural food sources, some of the gulls have developed an alternative feeding strategy. They attack the backs of the whales with their bills and cause small leisons. They continue to pick at these leisons creating wounds which they feed on, literally eating the whales alive! Astounding! This parastic behaviour has caused the whales to alter their feeding habits and some have developed postures such as arched backs as they try to evade the gulls. Biologists are studing this problem intently. They have two main questions 1) Is it only a select few gulls who have developed this strategy and are causing all the problems? If they are removed from the population will this curtail the problem? 2) Are the gulls damaging healthy skin or are they attracted to exsisting skin irritations such as small leisons, blisters or other signs of diseased skin? If this is the case there may be a larger problem for the whales. It was very interesting to see and learn about the whales.
The next day we carried on and visited the giant, stinky beach slugs otherwise known as elephant seals. The males are absolutely enourmous! The females quite a bit smaller. All were loitering on the beach rocks impervious to the fierce patagonian winds and oblivious to our gauwking and squawking. We did see a couple of young males sparing as training for later matchs to win lordship over the harims of females.
More seafood and more wine was on the menu in Patageonia. I've never had such plump, tender, tasty shrimp as here. Kingclip, ratfish, squid to rival the squid of South Africa and pulpitos, mmmm, the pulpitos were supurb! I never cared much for octopus although I have optomistically tried it many times. Always too chewy and just not to my taste, but the small octopus here are amazing! I felt a bit bad about eating so many of them. They are such charming and charismatic animals when live.
Stay tuned for photos. They are difficult to post from these internet cafe computers.
Hope all is well at home.
Lesley and Vance
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