Argentina Weblog - the 3rd instalment

There is so much to write so I hope I can keep it brief!  We have only been in Argentina for 5 days but I feel as though I have been here for much longer.

Our last evening in Stellenbosch was spent having dinner with an old friend at the Tokara Vineyard.  It is 5 kms out of town, situated on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass.  We arrived as the sun was setting over Stellenbosch, the Cape Flats, and Table Mountain in the distance.  It has a super-modern cellar which is lit up with exotic purple lighting for dinner guests to view the massive stainless steel vats through a large Picture window.  The food, as is usually the case in South Africa, was excellent.

On the morning of 13th we set off for the airport, slightly nervous as we had airline standby tickets on what we were told was a very full flight.  Luckily two seats were available.  As the Malaysian 747 was parked away from the terminal on the apron, I was collected at the departure gate in what I always call the ”meat wagon” –  one of those white, box-like lift vehicles that are essential for boarding wheelchair passengers in such situations, but I can never understand why they are so grotty inside!

The flight was over 8 hours long, and on arrival, my wheelchair was brought up from the hold to the aircraft door.  Immigration into Argentina is straight forward with British passport holders automatically receiving a 3 month visitor´s visa.  A car was there to meet us from Borges Design Hostel, and we set off for Buenos Aires.  It was disappointing not to have our daughter there to meet us, but at least we had arrived.  By the time we got to the hotel we realised that my husband had left his jacket on the luggage trolley, but thankfully his passport was in a leather wallet hanging around his neck.

The drive into Buenos Aires gives an impression of endless unattractive high-rise apartment blocks, and one-way streets lined with huge, very leafy trees.  As soon as we arrived at Borges Design Hostel in Palermo district, I checked the Internet: an email from Chania said that Dusko´s passport had been issued the evening before, they had booked a flight and would be with us by 7.30 pm.  Our plans were back on track!

Chania took us to a highly recommended restaurant called La Cabrera on Viejo in the Palermo district.  People tend to eat very late in Buenos Aires, but as early as 8.30 pm, the place was full and a queue building.  The food and the service were great – we had a variety of grilled fillets and beef cuts which were served with about 10 different sauces and tasty vegetables in ramakin dishes.  Half way through our meal, there was a commotion at a table next to us: one of the men was choking on a piece of meat.  A man from the same table rushed over to him to perform the “Heimlich” manoeuvre, but to no avail.  Dusko, who is in the Royal Air Force and is also a scuba diving instructor has done several first aid courses, so he took over and after several very hefty “Heimlich” bear-hugs, the man finally coughed up the offending object.  By now his poor wife was white with shock.  Everyone settled down very quickly, and the man (who was a retired Canadian Army officer) sent us over a bottle of wine.   

Borges Design Hostel was initially a disappointment: the room that Chania had reserved for us had actually been reserved by someone else, so we were give a room which looked out onto a noisy main road. Traveller's tip: always take ear plugs and eye shades with you.  The hostel is not suitable for someone who cannot walk or manage stairs, but if you can, Room 102 on the first floor is the one to book.  It is large, has a double bed, and looks over the courtyard.  Generally, the Hostel is clean and the beds are comfortable, and the staff very nice and friendly.  Double Rooms with A/C are around GBP 25, including breakfast.  However, the Argentine idea of breakfast is a rather poor cousin to a continental breakfast.  They have a sweet tooth and a great favourite to spread on toast is “dulce leche”, which is like caramalised condensed milk.

My ear plugs worked wonders and feeling surprisingly refreshed, we set off for our first day in Buenos Aires.  We took a city tour coach which gave us a comprehensive idea of what to see when we get back after our trip around Patagonia.  (It is a shame that they don´t have the open air double decker bus tours that they have in most major British cities.)  The last stop was in the La Boca area which is home to the main football stadium and the Boca Juniors.  It is a poor area, but is renowned for its brightly painted wooden and corrugated iron houses and as a result has become a popular tourist area.  The streets here are all cobbled and an uncomfortable ride in a wheelchair, but nonetheless, I loved it – and found it easier to manoevre my own wheelchair than be pushed.  The pavements around Buenos Aires are generally very higgledy-piggledy with slabs missing and random areas that have been dug up.  Crossing the street is a bumpy process and it would be extremely difficult to get around without help. 

At around 6.30 pm we went around to the car rental firm to meet Sebastián who was as cheerful and helpful as he sounded in his emails.  We completed all the forms, but left the car parked in his 24 hour secure compound for the night.

The Palermo district of BsAs is renowned for its restaurants and bars, and in the evening we settled ourselves at a pavement table outside a bar/restaurant with some of Dusko´s friends, a  young couple on their honeymoon.  This was at the centre of Palermo in what they called Palermo “Hollywood”, or “Soho”.  It is buzzing with activity and mid-night arrived very quickly.  It is essential to make sure that you have your purses/bags and valuables very securely attached to you.

Our 7 am departure ended up being a 9 am departure, partly because Dusko & Chania didn´t get home until 5 am.  This is normal for BsAs and after the stress of the passport loss in Bolivia they probable needed to have a good night out.  We collected the car and headed down the RN3 for Patagonia and Bahia Bustamante.

There are some people who prefer to deal with the huge distances in Patagonia by flying wherever they go.  However, this gives you no idea at all of the immensity and emptiness of this beautiful area.  Luckily, everyone in our family loves long road trips and we enjoyed watching the miles and miles of completely flat landscape roll by.   In the Buenos Aires province, it is quite green and there are cattle ranches and acres of sunflower plantations.  Perfect fencing follows the road for every mile.  Our night stop on the way was at Carmen de Patagones, at one time considered to be the gateway into Patagonia.  We stayed in the Hotel Pergaz recommended in the Rough Guide to Argentina – the rooms were hot and stuffy, and once again faced onto an unbelievably noisy main road and a street lamp directly outside our window poured light into our room.  Every young man in the area seemed to want his car to sound like a Ferrari and deliberately noisy exhausts are attached to their battered 1970s vehicles.  It was Friday night, and when I woke up briefly at about 4 am, the street was still full of noisy people and cars! 

On Saturday, we stopped briefly en-route at Gaiman, renowned for its Welsh culture and tea rooms.  It was too early for tea, so after a quick lunch we pressed on for Bustamante.  Chania advised us that we should fill up with fuel at every opportunity as fuel stations are few and far between and are likely to have none when you arrive.  We missed out on one opportunity to refuel; then the next station had none; and then when we finally arrived at Garayalde (about 35 kms from Bustamante) there was no fuel there either.  While we considered our predicament (along with a stream of other vehicles) a massive tanker pulled in to the station.  The driver didn´t seem to understand why we were so excited and happy! After an hour´s wait, we were fuelled up and on our way. 

As we turned off the asphalt of the RN3, the unpaved & stoney  “ripiro” road wound down a few gently rolling hills, welcoming us to the wide open spaces of the estancia of Bahia Bustamante.