Date: ~Sunday 18 September 2022

Trajectory:  Don Luis – Ituzaingo

Distance covered: ± 60 km

Early to bed last night, after another splendid meal. 

After a six o’clock breakfast we drove back to civilisation, and then made our way to Bahía Caraya where we had intended to go on a boat journey on the river/lake and through the marshland. 

But it was not to be. The water was very rough and it would have been uncomfortable and probably unsafe …

… so with Horacio Matarrasso, who had joined us with an Australian birder, we worked our way through the forest.

‘Caraya’ means howler monkey, and we saw plenty of them: some thoughtful …

… and some more aggressive. Rightly is they called ‘howler’ monkeys.

Plenty of time to socialise over mate with a good guy whose name I never got – but I did like the way he walked around with his mate and thermos …. it’s a very Argentine thing.

And I was impressed by his collection of knives/facones, all super sharp. Knives seems to be all a thing in Corrientes Province.

Then back to Casa Bonita to catch up on blog, etc. I had just checked in when the heavens opened, and I found myself hoping Ale and Cepi would get back on the trails where the sand would be changing to mud. But with a Hilux I’m sure they will have been OK.

Bird of the day – a white-browed meadowlark, seen on the road between Don Luis and Ituzaingo.

My worst experience of the trip so far was to follow: I went from my room in the hotel to the car to get some stuff and the wind blew the hotel door closed with my keys [and more importantly my phone] inside. I am the only person in the hotel and being Sunday there was no resident staff (it’s a strange sort of hotel altogether). For a while I didn’t know what to do. Ingenuity won the day; by enquiring at various houses in the street I was able to find someone with the hotel owner’s telephone number and all was OK. But not the best way to spend three hours on a stormy afternoon!

Spent the rest of the day getting blogs, etc. up to date, now that I have wifi again. Tomorrow heading west again towards Chaco and will sleep outside Resistencia.