Chaco and Formosa 2022 Day 3

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Martin Eayrs

Date: Sunday 21 August 2022
Trajectory: Malargüe – San Luis

Distance covered: 459 km (plus extra 108 km diversion)

Left Malargüe (which I have now learned how to spell) in the dark and spent the first 90 mins driving due east and squinting to avoid being dazzled by the surprisingly large number of cars coming into Malargüe on a Sunday morning, many of whom don’t believe in dipped headlights, and the second hour squinting driving due east into a ferocious blinding sun. Moral: when leaving early, don’t drive east (or when driving east, don’t leave early).

Mountains for the first couple of hours, giving way to flat plains. No domestic animals on the road today, but a roadside juvenile rhea and a disappearing fox cheered me up. And of course, lots of birds, with frequent feeding flocks along the verges and roadside vegetation. In the picture are some eared doves and a spotwinged pigeon from a mixed feeding group.

*Two eared doves (l) and a spot-winged pigeon (r)*

An uneventful drive today, bar a navigation error (see below). One interesting place I drove through was Monte Comán, once an important Railway station with British connections. Much of the infrastructure can still be seen, and the town also has an open-air display of old engines, rolling stock and agricultural machinery.

*Railway station at Monte Comán – with clear British influences*

*Not to be irreverent – but this reminded me of Thomas the Tank Engine*

Shortly afterwards I crossed into the Province of San Luis, the countryside now completely flat. It was warm with the sun high, but not so warm when the clouds covered the sun so I was busy regulating the AC (and trying to remember how it worked).

*Day by day, crossing from one province to another*

Life is full of surprises, and I had to stop and investigate these abandoned plastic bottles. Litter for luck, it seems – or to reserve your place in a better world? Shrines like this often mark the scene of fatal accidents and are dedicated to Deolinda [Difunta] Correa. For the interesting story of Deolinda see here.

All the highways today have had solar-powered wifi SOS points every couple of kilometres or so. Splendid idea, with so much sun here, and the posts make useful nesting boxes for the birds.

*At least the nest doesn’t obstruct the solar panels ..*

And now to today’s navigation problem, and the bird of the day. I drove past a falcon on a post, spotted him and turned round to take the photo. Then I thought this would be a good time to have a sandwich, which I did and then I got in the car and drove on.

‘On’ being back the way I had come. Because there are no road or distance signs and the scenery is pretty much flat and featureless (and because I didn’t have the satnav on – I couldn’t see the point!) it took me 54km to realise my error, so that added an extra 108 to the days driving. Never mind, I wasn’t in a hurry and it’s nice driving on good roads, which this was.

*Falcon that cost me a hundred kilometres extra driving*

Finally reached San Luis. Found the place I had earmarked but didn’t much like the look of it. Despite their online assurances that they had lock-up parking and wifi they in fact had neither. However I did find another place, very cheap, with both.

*Home for tonight, safe parking round the corner*

Tomorrow I drive northeast towards Villa Carlos Paz, in the Province of Córdoba. It’s a shorter drive unless I get distracted. Today’s lesson – keep the satnav on, even when it says next turn 280 kms.

Chaco and Formosa 2022 Day 2

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Martin Eayrs

Date: Saturday 20 August 2022

Trajectory: Chos Malal – Malargüe

Distance covered: 370 km (with diversions)

Left Chos Malal at 08.00, after breakfast in the Hostería Anlu. It was still dark and cold though no sign of snow or ice. It was to be a leisurely day as I had a shorter than usual distance to cover, though it turned out to take longer than I thought. More about that below.

*Comfortable stop, with good hot shower and comfy bed. What else do you need?*

There were always going to be birds today, but I decided to limit myself to just one for the blog. It didn’t take long to find these black vultures just as dawn was breaking – waiting for the early morning thermals to get up and soaring. Unlike condors, which roost high in the rocks, these vultures are ground roosters and need a solar incentive to get going in the morning.

After a few hours we reached the provincial border of Neuquén and Mendoza, celebrated with this pic. Today was to be my last full day on the RN40.

*The RN 40 run from the top to the bottom of Argentina and is a national institution*

We had hardly entered Mendoza when the asphalt road surface disappeared, to be replaced by a tiresome and tiring gravel road. It was [mostly] not too bad a surface but seemed to go on for ever, and certainly slowed me down. Not that I was in a hurry.

As I was relieving myself I saw a small brown furry thing entering water – perhaps a coypu (if they live so far north)? No pic; it all happened so quickly. And I frequently met cows, sheep, goats and horses crossing or simply congregating in the roads. The braking time on gravel is longer so you need to be careful of these, although this road was pretty straight and wide for most of the way. And although it passed through high stretches there was no sign of ice or snow – quite the opposite, with hot sun and clear blue skies.

For some time now the Roman Catholic church has been under threat by protestant evangelists, and little nonconformist chapels can be found all over Argentina. This Pentecostal Church is a fairly typical example.

*Churches like this can be found in the smallest, poorest villages*

Back on the asphalt it was nice to see this sign. I drove slowly for the next few kilometres vaguely hoping to see large felines but it wasn’t my day.

And I cruised into Malargüe at about 14.30 to find a room at a pleasant hotel/restaurant on the main route. I always look for a place with a lock-up compound as I don’t want to unpack the whole car, although the valuables do come in with me at night.

*Another comfy stop, with a good restaurant.*

At the hotel I took time to reorganise the stuff in the back of the car. I packed the travelling stuff when I left San Martín de los Andes in snow and rain, and it was a mess. It may still look a mess, but now I know what is where and things are much more getatable. I reclaimed the back row of seats though intelligent packing, and put most of the stuff in clear sealable plastic boxes as there is a lot of dry dust ahead. I have a roof rack if needed.

*Well, if this still looks messy you should have seen it before*

black-billed shrike-tyrant (Agriornis montanus)There was time for a daylight walk around Malargüe and I did see a few birds; near the hotel were an Austral Thrush and an as yet unidentified bird, very elegant, perhaps a shrike tyrant. (Ed. Good guess – it was a black-billed shrike-tyrant (Agriornis montanus).

Austral thrush on left, unknown bird on right. (Ed. **black-billed shrike-tyrant**)

Had we but world enough and time in Malargüe , I would have explored the Witches’ Cavern with its vast cave complex to the southwest of the town or the bird-rich wetlands at the Llancanelo Lagoon’s to the east, but we always have to make choices. My destination is Formosa, and tomorrow to San Luis.

Chaco and Formosa 2022 Day 1

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Martin Eayrs

Date: Friday 19 August 2022

Trajectory: San Martín de los Andes – Chos Malal

Distance covered: 478 km (with diversions)

*Todays journey. The diversion to Taquimilán is just south of Chos Malal*

I finally left the cabin I have been staying in at 10.15 AM, with sun and clear sky and ice visibly melting. Good feeling to be on the road again.

*Off, to the sound of canned Heat’s ‘On the Road Again’*

Today’s was always going to be an uneventful drive, the day’s aim being to reach first Zapala and then Chos Malal by nightfall and not to dillydally on the way. No birds, no detours, just put the foot down and get there. With a late start and twisty mountain roads it seemed a sensible plan.

Hills between Zapala and `Chos Malal. Patagonia id geologically young, and has many fascinating rock formations.

The view from the windscreen was of course spectacular – Patagonia [Argentina even] doesn’t just have the Andes but also other mountain ranges that can be equally impressive. I tend to drive fairly slowly (80-100 kph) anyway, in order to enjoy the scenery and keep an eye open for wild life, which means I enjoy the views so much more.

The ubiquitous ACA sign, always welcome after a couple of hundred kms of rough road.

I’m a member of ACA (the Argentine Automobile Club), which gets me discounts on diesel, drinks and food as well as access to a small number of ACA hotels and camp sites. Stopping for fuel (diesel, coffee and lunch) is a regular part of all my journeys and I choose ACA when I can.

Cheap and cheerful lunch – came in at around US$ 4.00.

And yes, I did say I wouldn’t photograph birds today, but as I stopped for a pee this Sierra Finch came to say hello and more or less begged to be photographed. And the camera was handy.

Sierra Finch, I think grey-hooded but am happy to be corrected

There were other animals on the road, and I was held up for a few minutes for some goat-moving exercises.

It’s common to see gauchos moving large numbers of domestic animals across highways: in this case a couple of hundred goats.

Just short of my destination, Chos Malal, I made one of the diversions I was not going to make to see the ghost village of Taquimilán. This appears from time to time in the foothills you can see in the picture below, although you need luck (and perhaps a good imagination) to see it. I spoke to several villagers there; about 50% claimed to have seen the mysterious phantom village. They do say that you need a clear sky in the evening; faith was not mentioned but I imagine it is a useful aid.

I was accompanied to this vantage point, where, had the light and other conditions been ‘right’, I would have seen the much touted ‘enchanted village’.

I reached Chos Malal (the name means ‘yellow corral’ in the language of the Mapuches) as the sun was setting, and found my [very comfortable] hostería. A shower, a meal and an early night and Day 1 completed.

And yes, I spent all day on the RN40, and will do tomorrow too. Definitely my favourite road anywhere.

Chaco and Formosa 2022 Day 0

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Martin Eayrs

Trajectory: SM de los Andes – SM de los Andes

Distance covered: 0 km

Still at starting point – in a mountain valley just outside San Martin de los Andes

Occasions continue to inform against me. After conversations with family, friends and neighbours and a visit to Vialidad I have decided the roads are not quite safe enough so have delayed my departure/start by one day. The plan now is to leave for Chos Malal tomorrow (Friday) morning, when the sun gets its hat on.

*“To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough, November, 1785” is a Scots-language poem written by Robert Burns in 1785* – hoc dixit Wikipedia.

As Mick and Keef, vaguely paraphrasing Burns, wrote and sang: ‘You can’t always get what you want’. But no sweat, I’m in a cosy cabin with wine, food, a good Internet connection and my recently loaded Kindle (thanks, Mimi) together with a spectacular view from my window; these have effectively vanquished the prospect of a first day’s drive of 487 km to Chos Malal along snowy mountain roads northwards.

*Room with a view – steps up to my little cabin.*

So, no blog today, just an explanation. Fingers crossed and Deo volente I’ll be listening to Canned Heat as I drive away tomorrow morning.

*Here’s hoping the roads will be a little better tomorrow …*

Chaco and Formosa trip, 2022: on the road again.

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Martin Eayrs

No, not a Canned Heat homage, but a return to my wildlife travels around Argentina. For the record, since 1969, I have always started my trips with a quick burst of the great travel song (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QexOuH8GS-Y).

Three years ago, I planned a month-long trip through north-central Argentina. I had previously visited the north-east (see here) and the north-west (unblogged) and this new trip would plug the gap between the two. Formosa was the only Argentine province I had not previously visited, and I was greatly attracted by a region in the Argentine Chaco known as ‘El Impenetrable’, no translation needed.

*Purple and green at the top are my prime locations.* The blue cross is my start and end point.

But this trip was not to be, and attempts to resuscitate it failed, twice. Occasions –mainly Covid19 related– informed against me. It was expensive. The rental cost of a 4WD SUV for a month was outrageous and there was a limit to how much useful travelling stuff I could bring with me to my starting point, originally Resistencia. Yes, I had an ageing Jeep Cherokee down in Patagonia but it was in its twenty-third year and not reliable enough for a 12-15,000 km journey. And Jeep spare parts, when you could get them, were costly and notoriously slow to arrive, even in a city, and I wasn’t intending to be spending much time in cities.

Time, then, for some fresh calculations, which changed the basic premise: now I simply had to get a decent SUV, carry everything I needed in or on it, and live in it and from it as I would. I could carry a tent, cooking equipment, a cooler box, a folding chair, etc. Argentina is strong on camping sites, mostly with shower and barbecue facilities, and many are free so that would offset the cost of the gas. And I would have no other flights or surface transport costs at all.

*The Toyota SW4 (left) meets and replaces Silver, the Jeep Cherokee Sport*

I sold the Chero and bought a Toyota SW4, basically a Hilux with an enclosed back, seven seats and spares available everywhere. In some countries they call it the Fortuner. It was the ideal vehicle. I tried a couple of short (2,000 km) trips in it and it was a dream to drive; high on the road and screaming safety. I slept in it one night, just in the front passenger seat, seat-back reclined. It was a lot better than my economy flight, and I hope to implement a much more comfortable emergency sleeping position. It has a great music system too, and I’ve been stockpiling podcasts and playlists for a while now.

So, the plan looked good on paper, and the revised estimates (allowing for a few hotels and restaurant meals here and there) seemed just about doable without digging into savings. There would be some preparations to the SW4 and in the general planning, but there would have been anyway. I revised the itineraries and finetuned things a bit to allow me to stop by and say hello to more friends along the way. I extended the duration of the trip too, from four weeks to eight, to allow me to revisit Iberá (where new ecolodges have opened) and parts of Misiones (always a great place to visit).

I’m planning to leave San Martín de los Andes on 18 August, heading north at first up the great National Highway RN 40. It’ll be great to be off on a proper trip again, one where the aim is the travelling itself, as much as any particular destination. My focus, as is my wont, will be on birds and other wildlife, but I shall be visiting many people too and enjoying local customs, food and drink. It’s going to be good, and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope to blog the journey, day by day, both on Facebook and also on my own blog [at www.eayrs.com/blog]. It’s unlikely I’ll be able to upload every day given the parlous state of mobile signals and the Internet in provincial Argentina and the remoteness of some of the places I’m visiting, but I’ll upload when I can.

So, if interested, feel free to comment, here or on the blog, and if you live along my route and fancy meeting up for a beer or coffee do get in touch. And watch this space.

www.eayrs.com

Martin Eayrs – occasional blog space

Monthly Archives: August 2022