March 1/2 - Argentina

March 8th, 2006 | By April | 4 Comments »

Day 212/213 - The next morning the mechanic checked out Henry. He said that they didn’t have the seal for the oil leak either, because this was not a common engine model in Argentina. He told us to go to Paraguay and they will have the seal for sure. He gave us a name of a shop in a city that is right across the border from Argentina. He also thought we would have to pull the engine out to fix it We were so close to the falls that we just decided to add more oil to the van as needed, and head up north. We spent the night in a paid campground at Puerto Iguazu, the town near the falls, trying to get our computer to work. It broke down today… talk about bad luck. I feel better and ready to work and then the computer gets sick. Go figure ! In the morning will be our great trip to the marvelous falls.

Iguazu Falls is a site worth seeing, if you can fit it into your route through South America. At the northeastern tip of Argentina, where it meets Brazil and Paraguay, are two rivers that collide 269 feet down cliffs, created from a volcanic reaction. A serene experience. We viewed the streaming falls from the Argentinean side, since, due to reciprocity with the States, it cost $100 USD per person for the visa, and it takes at least a week to obtain. Brazil will have to be on another trip, when we can save up money again. The Argentineans have the Igauzu National Park, where you can walk all day and see 275 different waterfalls from various viewpoints. They have an extensive trail system that is well maintained, and was created with loops so there is no backtracking. There is also a free train service that will drop you off at two different stations, where you can walk to the falls. A free boat service from the park will drop you off on a small island where you can view the falls again, and get misted by spray from the falling water. There are tour companies offering services such as guides, boat tours, or rafting. There were tons of vacation tour buses, with people everywhere, but it was still worth seeing. The best part of the trails were the catwalks that went over the river and falls, offering a view of the falls like you were walking on water.

We saw a bunch of animals: toucans, monkeys, coatis, beetles, butterflies, birds, and more. It was great to see a real toucan, and made me realize how much Fruit Loops has trained me to think of a rainbow beaked bird… poor toucans, that will consistently remind the travelers from the States of cereal boxes! After five hours of walking around the park and seeing all the major waterfalls, we headed back to the town, and just in time because it started to rain. It rained while we were on the train back to the parking lot, then it stopped, and started again once we got back in to the van. We spent the night at a youth hostel on the way into town, to get a break from the van, and meet some fellow travelers. A very nice gentleman tried helping us with our computer and let us use his for a bit to search the net (there was a wait to use the hostels computers), but we didn’t get it fixed. Thanks, Gato, he is a talented graphic designer, check out his site www.bygato.com

Feb. 27/28 - Uruguay/Argentina

March 8th, 2006 | By April | No Comments »

Day 210/211 - In the morning Alejandro took us to a mechanic that his friend suggested. A mysterious noise was still coming from the back of the car, which we figured out was probably the CV joint; and an oil leak was developing. The time the mechanic needed to fix the van was too long, and they said they probably wouldn’t have the part we needed. So we decided to try Argentina instead. Thank you Alejandro for everything!!!!!

So it was off to Carmelo this morning, to pick up our bike that we had left at Orlando’s mother’s house, and to visit with Orlando’s other brother Velarde. Unfortunately, he wasn’t around and we weren’t sure when he would be back. So we got the oil changed and checked one more time to see if Velarde was around. We left a note for him at the house, then took off north to Salto and the border crossing for Argentina. On the road again.

My cold got worse and put me out of commission for two days, but that was okay because we were basically just driving most of the time, up to the border and then up to the Iguazu Falls at the border of Brazil and Argentina. Our first night we stopped at a hot springs campground, Termas de Guaviyu, which was on the way to the Argentinean border. It was full to the seams with Uruguayans and Argentineans on holiday for Carnival. Everywhere we looked there were tents and smiling faces.

We crossed the border in the morning, same as before, and drove up to the town of Eldorado, where we looked for a mechanic. We saw a VW dealership and they pointed us to a very nice mechanic. He went through, in broken Spanish, all the items we wanted to fix and told us that they didn’t have the parts we needed, and to try this other shop. They were so helpful that they even wrote down all the items we were looking to fix in Spanish. The CV joint has stopped making sounds, but our small oil leak (wouldn´t be a VW van without one) had become bigger. The next mechanic looked at it and told us the same thing, and directed us to one last guy that works on trucks but has a Kombi (camper van) as well. Jason spoke with him and it turned out that he spoke English and said to bring the van in the morning and he’d look at it – and he thought it would be no problem.

We spent the beginning of that night at a municipal campground. Most towns in Argentina have one, and it was free. It seemed nice and safe enough. Later in the night, right before we were going to bed, a small group of young men and kids came by and hung out at a picnic shelter that was near our car. They brought their boom box and played their tunes loudly into the night, sometimes helping the singer along with the lyrics. They weren’t giving us any problems, so we just laid there listening to their Spanish conversations and waited for them to get tired and go home. They finally started to leave, then, as Jason poked his head down to see if they really left, he saw two of the guys quietly sneaking back. They started to check out our bike on the back of the van, and we could see them in the mirrors. Jason made a bit of noise and shook the van a bit, which made them take off running. We didn’t waste our time and closed down the pop top and left the park; not wanting to have to worry about them coming back to try at the lock again. Free camping always comes with a price, I guess.

Feb. 16/17 - Chile/Argentina

March 2nd, 2006 | By April | 3 Comments »

Day 199/200 - We slept last night at a truck stop/ gas station at the foot of the Andes. We were right by a river that we had been following up the highway. There must have been a rain storm before we came, because the river was surging down the mountainside in rough rapids, with the water a clay brown color from all the soil runoff.

Can we call Henry a little truck? I think he fits in just fine.

This morning we ascended up the Andes in a steep climb; 29 hairpin turns to the tunnel at the summit of the pass, to the border of Argentina. The Chilean side of the Andes has steep, rocky, dark grey features, with snow packs hidden here and there. Below is all the Chilean side of the Andes.

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Henry survived the steep climb and we didn’t have any problems. Though I must say the van didn’t like the lack of oxygen in the air, and we climbed a total of 3,863 meters (12,735 feet) to the summit; 2,494 of it was in 27 kilometers (8,222 feet in 16.8 miles) and that was mostly hairpin curves. The border on the Chilean side wasn’t much hassel for us since we were in a car. They do all the paperwork for both countries on the Argentinean side of the tunnel.

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Half way up the Andes… and we made it, the sign counting the 29th curve

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Henry and the Andes

The border crossing on the Argentinean side was very simple and almost lazy, with drive-thru windows. We drove up and into a huge barn type structure, made out of metal siding. The birds that were settled in there seemed to enjoy it’s loftiness. It probably really helps with all the snow they receive in the winter. The first booth was for immigrations. After getting our exit and entry stamps we drove up to the next booth, where we filled out a car permit form, got a stamp, and moved on to the inspector, who decides if we can leave the building or not. The inspector asked for our papers and car insurance (we showed them our insurance from the states, which is cancelled.. oops and they let us go on our way.

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Argentinean side of the Andes

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The Andes on the Argentinean side were different. The sun rises and shines straight up the valley, which helps keep the mountains green with plants and flowers. The features are dramatic in a different way than on the Chilean side; the lower parts of the mountains are more gently sloped, with shades of red and grey/green rock. We could see the tops of the Andes better with their snow covered peaks. The drive through the valley that lead out of the mountains was a stunning one; with nice rock cliffs of layered rock in varying colors.

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Argentinean side of the Andes

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Originally we were going to have five to six days to do our trip from Chile to Uruguay, but since the boat was late we decided to drive straight through to get to Uruguay on schedule. So we drove quickly through the landscape of Argentina, taking two days and two nights – staying again at truck stops. It was great because the truck stops are free and most are secure (we only stay at ones we feel comfortable at) plus they all have showers We also saw a bike race going on the highway as we were driving down; they were so fast we didn´t get any pics… but there was a huge line of people following them (support staff & fans, I assume). A nice surprise while driving.

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nice highways in Argentina & of course beautiful countryside.

The only reason we stayed a second night in Argentina was due to a political situation at the border to Uruguay. Two of the three bridges that are used for crossing the Uruguay River (the border) are closed. We didn’t find out this piece of information until we came to Gualeguaychu, which is the most southern town with a bridge crossing. We ended up needing to drive about 250 kilometers (156 miles) further north to Concordia, where we would cross over an electric dam into Uruguay. By the time we got up there it was too late for us to cross, so we camped and waited until the morning. The only other option would have been to take the ferry from Buenos Aires, which is very expensive, and we would have had to drive just as far to the south as we did to the north.