San Martín de los Andes, Neuquén, Argentina
This blog is an occasional dumping/sharing ground for random thoughts and ideas, mainly relating to birding, photography, travel, the English language and the teaching thereof and assorted verse and doggerel. I am a retired teacher/lecturer and now work as a language and education consultant with an interest in evaluation and testing, quality assessment and moderation. I divide my time between homes and families in San Martín de los Andes, Patagonia and Manchester, UK.
Still not feeling a hundred per cent. Drove away from the Impenetrable, from the heat, dust and flies, back to relative civilisation. Roque Saenz Peña is the second city in Chaco, and a bustling, modern place. Found a room at the same hotel as before – a comfortable and comforting space.
So, a short entry again today – but at least a bird of the day from a quick revisit to the zoo as I drove past. A Ñacarutú, known in English as the great horned owl.
Trajectory: Tantanacuy Ecolodge – Misión Nueva Pompeya
Distance covered: 100 km
Left Tantanacuy for an ‘ethno-cultural’ day, visiting local people and learning about their lives. First stop a bilingual school, Spanish/Wichi. Interestingly, some English had crept in, courtesy of the director who is very eco-aware.
Picked up something new for my bathroom door collection too.
The school was at the heart of the Wichi community, and I was accompanied by two ‘guides’ who were happy to show me around.
Their very limited Spanish and my non-existent Wichi made for an interesting tour, which seemed to centre on trees as much as people. Here’s one example – sorry, don’t know what kind of tree this is.
I particularly liked their meeting area – where plans and dreams can be discussed under the shade of a tree.
A little bit of shopping followed – I turned down the offer of a cow’s head but bought some sunscreen for a future boat trip.
Then to a leatherworker’s home where I bought a rawhide lasso …
…and had a tasty lunch of pulled goat cooked in maize flour – much tastier than it sounds.
They make all kinds of leather wear including full body protection against thorns for people and horses.
And I went on a river trip in a kayak …
… and visited a weaver, currently working on a giant anteater ….
… and a worker with Palo Santo wood, from whom I bought a mortero
All in all a fascinating day. Everyone I meet is very proud of their Chaco, and I am learning a lot about it.
Not much birding these days, but not a problem. I did get my bird of the day on my walk around the Wichi school – a whistling heron (replacement photo).
Supper was a strange invention – very tasty, but hard to describe: a triple sandwich cooked in cheese with meat and salad filling. Washed down with Brahma beer.
I was amused by the name of the restaurant, Clemente, a reminder of a World Cup way back when
Very interesting breakfast, with pan casero and varios home made jams – these here all from various cactus and succulents, and all interesting tastes.
After breakfast I sussed out a good place for a trail camera, a water hole in the very dry landscape here …
… which I’ll check tomorrow. For now I left the camera in place.
Then to an asado in the countryside with a local family who keep bees and other animals…
… consisting of pork and beef, salad, roast vegetables, etc. …
… followed by a walk around their land to see the most enormous palo borracho tree.
I bonded with the owner of the land, who was very proud of his Chaco heritage and keen to explain flora and fauna …
… and who invited us to his nearby farm where we spent a pleasant two or three hours among the people and animals while his brothers drank mate and dehusked maize for the livestock.
Drove back to the Tantanacuy Guest House for beer and snooze, then supper.
No breakfast at hotel as owner Carlos had forgotten to buy anything, so off to Shell where I grabbed some coffee, filled two 20 litre jerrycans with diesel and bought some cans of beer for my sojourn in the outback.
Then drove the 130 km to Tantanacuy Ecolodge. Actually, because of misleading instructions and the total absence of signage and people to ask it was more like 230 in total. The only vehicles I saw were logging trucks, deforesting the Chaco.
A consequence of this was that the roads were not only badly cratered and with accumulated sand banks – there were also logs all over the place. Twice I had to stop to clear a way through.
I finally arrived at Tantanacuy ….
… parked up, and went over to the guest house ..
… where a late lunch was waiting for me …
… washed down by a drink made from prickly pears – novel, and very tasty.
Lots of blue-crowned parakeets around the place I’m staying …
… and not very popular with owner Luis as they attack all the cacti for the water content
After lunch we went for a walk through the Impenetrable …
…. leading into a dusk merienda with bonfire …
… and staying a while to see the sunset.
On the way back to the guest house where I am staying we saw a scissor-tailed nightjar sitting in the road, which is today’s bird of the day.
Not quite sure what tomorrow has in store, but looking forward to it.
….and off to visit a local zoo outside Roque Saenz Peña. Reputed to have dealings with traffickers, but who knows?
Lots of animals here., including quite a few local species. I dipped on the giant armadillo but did find a smaller one.
There were lots of birds in the zoo too, but for my bird of the day I chose an elegant crested tinanmou, mainly because s/he was so friendly and made cooing noises at me.
Before leaving Roque Saenz Peña I found a gomería because I had a slow leak in the rear offside tyre.
A twig had forced its way between the steel rim and the rubber of the tyre. Easily fixed, and there was a great lunch place next door for tallarines and stewed meat.
It was only eighty kms to Pampa del Infierno, although the road was gradually deteriorating as I arrived. The railway still runs through town, with an old British signal and switching gear still in place.
Hotel Dos Hermanos very friendly and comfortable, with a lovely garden and super-safe parking.
Carlos, perhaps one of the brothers (?), will cook for me tonight.
There is no wifi, so I’ll get this off when I can. Tomorrow I’m going to Tantanacuy ecolodge – Luis Dellemea messaged that he is unable to meet me here and has apparently sent instructions by whatsapp. I’ll go to a service station tomorrow and download them – and fill a couple of jerrycans with diesel as I’ll be going into the hinterland.
Managed to make contact with Catalina of the the Animal Reserve in Paso de la Patria, but had to wait as she was held up in traffic. Worth waiting, though and by 09.30 I was at the Centre.
Very interesting visit, and Catalina took me through the cages and compounds where they are looking after damaged and rescued animals. Nearby is a separate re-wilding section which quite rightly I didn’t see – this is for animals considered candidates for re-releasing, who are kept out of sight of humans.
I did however use my telephoto lens to snap an endangered red macaw in the rewilding compound. I don’t think I’ve caused any damage as I was a very long way away.
One of the animals I did see in the rescue section was an elderly jaguar, blind in one eye, and living out her days in peace and comfort.
I walked a trail here and saw some indigenous but rare trees, all marked with name and species, and a few birds: from here my bird of the day, a greater ani (I think!). [Ed: it was a smooth billed ani, the smaller one].
The trail had a few ‘thoughts’, too – this one from Atahualpa Yupanqui.
Another appropriate thought from the Centre grounds ….
… where Catalina was showing a group of five-year-olds around. Hopefully the seeds of their visit will germinate.
I also saw oranges everywhere – or perhaps they were lemons – it’s hard to tell up here.
Visit over, I drove on to Roque Saenz Peña but my satnav tried to take me somewhere else and I had a fight to get back on the road. I won – I simply turned it off. The drive was short and uneventful, but I did stop to see a southern tamandua (aka lesser anteater) who had also lost a fight with a motor vehicle. These are beautiful animals, and roadkill like this is always distressing but I like to record what I see. I have however blurred some of the injuries).
Got to Roque Saenz Peña about 17.00. I had decided to treat myself to a little luxury as some uncertain days and nights lie ahead. My hotel of choice was full, but the second choice, just as good and half the price had one bed left so I grabbed it.
Tomorrow on to an alarmingly named rendezvous with Luis Dellamea at Paso del Infierno, and the beginning of a new adventure.
The storm continued all night, with lightning flashes and thunder rolls, the rain sounding heavy on the metal roof of my hotel room. Got up to a wet world …
… and an indifferent breakfast (with undrinkable coffee), so headed to the nearest service station which was an ACA but not of the modern kind – very run down, and no wifi.
But they still had the 5% ACA fuel discount, and the coffee, if slow in coming, was excellent.
Drove all morning through dark, wet highways to my stop for the night. Not the weather for birding; it rained hard pretty much all the way. I had arranged to go to the Maned Wolf Centre in Paso de la Patria (in season a sandy beach holiday resort, but not today!). But the Centre was closed – I’m trying to arrange a visit for tomorrow.
Beer and luncheon on arrival in Paso de la Patria (one of the toughest milanesas de carne for a long time) and found my cabin for the night at Cabañas Belen Efrata. A huge, sprawling and very comfortable cabin with a lived in look I approve of.
The owner, Marcelo, is on the same Provincial Tourism committee as Alejandra, who made the booking for me – an excellent overnighter for an excellent price.
Full kitchen facilities so for supper I made a packet soup with crackers and an apple. Wifi was iffy (where isn’t it?) but for once I was able to piggy back off my phone. Finally up to date with the blogging, but anticipate problems again as I hit the Chaco.
Finally, my bird of the day, shot from the car through a gap in the clouds – a golden-breasted woodpecker perched on a post boy the side of the road.
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.
