Salto, Uruguay
22 de Marzo de 2009
Once again solo in the city, it was to take a vacation
from my vacation, get out of the city, and enjoy some of the good air of another part of the country. I chose Cordoba because I'd heard nice things about the city, but I will admit I'd not done my homework. I was totally unaware that that the city was located ten hours northwest of Buenos Aires, is not only a city but an Argentinian province as well. ((t's a bit like "I live in New York. No. Not the city. The state.")
I reserved a seat on an overnight bus and it was my good fortuen to sit next to a young man who said to me, "You don't want the city of Cordoba. You want the province."
OK. As I said, I didn't do my homework and the more this guy told me of the state vs. the city, the more willing I was to let him make a few tweaks in my dismally laid plans.
The next morning we bypassed the city of Cordoba and disembarked in a much smaller city
called Villa Carlos Paz. Now, from what I could see, Villa Carlos Paz exists for reason, and one reason only--a city for tourists to hang their hats. It's got great weather, lovely mountain vistas, three casinos and 250 hotles. 350! It certainly wasn't hard to find a place to stay, especially since school had started the day before.
What it also had was a super network of tours that, for about $20.00, would whisk off the tourist on ten hour trips in multiple directions. Not a bad deal at all!
CORDOBA, THE STATE, IS LOCATED ON A HIGH PLATEAU WITH THE SIERRA MOUNTAI
NS TO ITS WEST. THE SIERRAS, OF COURSE, ARE PART OF THE ANDES, BUT A MUCH SMALLER RANGE THAN THE ONES NEAR MENDOZA, WHICH ARE THE HIGHEST IN SOUTH AMERICA. CORDOBA WAS, IN A SENSE, THE ADIRONDACKS OF ARGENTINA, BUT THAT´S NOT A FAIR COMPARISON. THEY TOPPED OUT AT ABOUT 5,000 FEET, WERE COVERED IN VEGETATION AND INVITED HIKING. BUT THIS TRIP WAS ABOUT EXPLORING ITS MANY SMALL TOWNS AND ENJOYING THE VIEWS OF THE MOUNTAINS AND FROM THEIR SUMMITS.
A FEW HIGHLIGHTS: ON ONE OF THE TRIPS WE V
ISITED THE BOYHOOD HOME OF CHE GUEVARA AND TOURED A GORGEOUSLY RECONSTRUCTED JESUIT MISSION, NOW A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE, IN THE PRETTY LITTLE TOWN OF ALTA GRACIA. ( JESUIT MISSIONS WILL PLACE A MORE SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THIS TRIP WHEN I VISIT ANOTHER AREA OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY AND ONCE AGAIN IN BOLIVIA.)
SCHOOL HAD STARTED THAT WEEK AND, BECAUSE OF THE SLIGHT ALTITUDE, THERE WAS AN END-OF-SUMMER FEELING IN THE AIR. THE DAYS WERE GORGEOUS--A DAZZLE OF SUNLIGHT WHILE THE NIGHTS COOLED DOWN COMFORTABLY. AND BECAUSE KIDS WERE BACK IN SCHOOL, THERE WERE FAR FEWER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD.
ONE PLEASANT
MEMORY IS A SHORT HIKE A TOOK WHEN THE BUS STOPPED FOR LUNCH--ALWAYS A LONG AFFAIR ON THESE BUS TRIPS. WE WERE AT 4,000 FEET AND I HIKED UP A ROAD FOR ABOUT TWO MILES THEN RETURNED TO THE RESTAURANT. GARDENS WERE FULL OF LATE SUMMER FLOWERS--ZINNIAS AND MARIGOLDS, COSMOS AND DAHILIAS. GOLDENROD GRACED THE SIDES OF THE ROAD. SEPTEMBER AT HOME, BUT MID MARCH IN ARGENTINA.
LOTS OF GERMANS AND SWISS EMIGRATED TO T
HIS PART OF ARGENTINA AND SEVERAL TOWNS REFLECT THIS HERITAGE. ONE TOWN, EL CUMBRE, IS A SPITTING IMAGE OF A SWISS HAMLET--COMPLETE WITH CHALETS, FONDUE, GERMAN/SWISS MENUS AND STORES SELLLING ALL SORTS OF GERMAN ALPINE GOODS. EL CUMBRE WAS THE HIGHEST POINT WE TRAVELLED TO AND BY THIS IN MARCH SOME TREES HAD LAREADY BEGUN TO CHANGE. IT WAS STILL SUMMER, BUT AT THIS ALTITUDE AUTUMN WAS BEGINNING TO EMERGE.
THE BEST TRIP I TOOK WAS TO A SMALL TOWN CALLED MINA CLAVERO, ABOUT 90 MINUTES OUT OF VILLA CARLOS PAZ. I WANTED A "TOUR FREE" DAY, SO I TOOK
A LOCAL BUS, GOT TO MINA CLAVERA BY LATE MORNING, GOT MY BEARINGS AND WANDERED DOWN TO THE RIVER THAT CUT THROUGH THE TOWN. I SPENT A SUPERB AFTERNOON UNDER A WIDE ARC OF SKY, UNDER A BRILLIANT LATE SUMMER SUN, ON THE BEACH BANKS OF A CLEAR, CLEAR, COLD MOUNTAIN RIVER. IT WAS PERFECT. AS THE DAY WOUND DOWN, I REALIZED HOW LOW THE SUN WAS GETTING AND THAT I HAD TO FACE FURTHER NORTH TO GET THE FULL EFFECT OF ITS WARMTH.
CORDOBA WAS A DELIGHT. THIS IS PART OF ARGENTINA THAT I WOULD BE HIGH ON MY "PLACES TO RETURN" TO LIST. HOW NICE IT WOULD BE SPEND CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR IN ONE OF THE SMALL MOUNTAIN TOWNS, ENJOYING THE LONGEST DAYS OF THE YEAR.
WE WILL SEE.
22 de Marzo de 2009
Once again solo in the city, it was to take a vacation
from my vacation, get out of the city, and enjoy some of the good air of another part of the country. I chose Cordoba because I'd heard nice things about the city, but I will admit I'd not done my homework. I was totally unaware that that the city was located ten hours northwest of Buenos Aires, is not only a city but an Argentinian province as well. ((t's a bit like "I live in New York. No. Not the city. The state.")I reserved a seat on an overnight bus and it was my good fortuen to sit next to a young man who said to me, "You don't want the city of Cordoba. You want the province."
OK. As I said, I didn't do my homework and the more this guy told me of the state vs. the city, the more willing I was to let him make a few tweaks in my dismally laid plans.
The next morning we bypassed the city of Cordoba and disembarked in a much smaller city
called Villa Carlos Paz. Now, from what I could see, Villa Carlos Paz exists for reason, and one reason only--a city for tourists to hang their hats. It's got great weather, lovely mountain vistas, three casinos and 250 hotles. 350! It certainly wasn't hard to find a place to stay, especially since school had started the day before.What it also had was a super network of tours that, for about $20.00, would whisk off the tourist on ten hour trips in multiple directions. Not a bad deal at all!
CORDOBA, THE STATE, IS LOCATED ON A HIGH PLATEAU WITH THE SIERRA MOUNTAI
NS TO ITS WEST. THE SIERRAS, OF COURSE, ARE PART OF THE ANDES, BUT A MUCH SMALLER RANGE THAN THE ONES NEAR MENDOZA, WHICH ARE THE HIGHEST IN SOUTH AMERICA. CORDOBA WAS, IN A SENSE, THE ADIRONDACKS OF ARGENTINA, BUT THAT´S NOT A FAIR COMPARISON. THEY TOPPED OUT AT ABOUT 5,000 FEET, WERE COVERED IN VEGETATION AND INVITED HIKING. BUT THIS TRIP WAS ABOUT EXPLORING ITS MANY SMALL TOWNS AND ENJOYING THE VIEWS OF THE MOUNTAINS AND FROM THEIR SUMMITS.A FEW HIGHLIGHTS: ON ONE OF THE TRIPS WE V
ISITED THE BOYHOOD HOME OF CHE GUEVARA AND TOURED A GORGEOUSLY RECONSTRUCTED JESUIT MISSION, NOW A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE, IN THE PRETTY LITTLE TOWN OF ALTA GRACIA. ( JESUIT MISSIONS WILL PLACE A MORE SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THIS TRIP WHEN I VISIT ANOTHER AREA OF ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY AND ONCE AGAIN IN BOLIVIA.)SCHOOL HAD STARTED THAT WEEK AND, BECAUSE OF THE SLIGHT ALTITUDE, THERE WAS AN END-OF-SUMMER FEELING IN THE AIR. THE DAYS WERE GORGEOUS--A DAZZLE OF SUNLIGHT WHILE THE NIGHTS COOLED DOWN COMFORTABLY. AND BECAUSE KIDS WERE BACK IN SCHOOL, THERE WERE FAR FEWER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD.
ONE PLEASANT
MEMORY IS A SHORT HIKE A TOOK WHEN THE BUS STOPPED FOR LUNCH--ALWAYS A LONG AFFAIR ON THESE BUS TRIPS. WE WERE AT 4,000 FEET AND I HIKED UP A ROAD FOR ABOUT TWO MILES THEN RETURNED TO THE RESTAURANT. GARDENS WERE FULL OF LATE SUMMER FLOWERS--ZINNIAS AND MARIGOLDS, COSMOS AND DAHILIAS. GOLDENROD GRACED THE SIDES OF THE ROAD. SEPTEMBER AT HOME, BUT MID MARCH IN ARGENTINA.LOTS OF GERMANS AND SWISS EMIGRATED TO T
HIS PART OF ARGENTINA AND SEVERAL TOWNS REFLECT THIS HERITAGE. ONE TOWN, EL CUMBRE, IS A SPITTING IMAGE OF A SWISS HAMLET--COMPLETE WITH CHALETS, FONDUE, GERMAN/SWISS MENUS AND STORES SELLLING ALL SORTS OF GERMAN ALPINE GOODS. EL CUMBRE WAS THE HIGHEST POINT WE TRAVELLED TO AND BY THIS IN MARCH SOME TREES HAD LAREADY BEGUN TO CHANGE. IT WAS STILL SUMMER, BUT AT THIS ALTITUDE AUTUMN WAS BEGINNING TO EMERGE.THE BEST TRIP I TOOK WAS TO A SMALL TOWN CALLED MINA CLAVERO, ABOUT 90 MINUTES OUT OF VILLA CARLOS PAZ. I WANTED A "TOUR FREE" DAY, SO I TOOK
A LOCAL BUS, GOT TO MINA CLAVERA BY LATE MORNING, GOT MY BEARINGS AND WANDERED DOWN TO THE RIVER THAT CUT THROUGH THE TOWN. I SPENT A SUPERB AFTERNOON UNDER A WIDE ARC OF SKY, UNDER A BRILLIANT LATE SUMMER SUN, ON THE BEACH BANKS OF A CLEAR, CLEAR, COLD MOUNTAIN RIVER. IT WAS PERFECT. AS THE DAY WOUND DOWN, I REALIZED HOW LOW THE SUN WAS GETTING AND THAT I HAD TO FACE FURTHER NORTH TO GET THE FULL EFFECT OF ITS WARMTH.CORDOBA WAS A DELIGHT. THIS IS PART OF ARGENTINA THAT I WOULD BE HIGH ON MY "PLACES TO RETURN" TO LIST. HOW NICE IT WOULD BE SPEND CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR IN ONE OF THE SMALL MOUNTAIN TOWNS, ENJOYING THE LONGEST DAYS OF THE YEAR.
WE WILL SEE.
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