Travelling west across Argentina
It has been great staying in Puerto Iguazu for a week, even if things didn’t go exactly as planned. Since we left Barcelona, we’ve had a manic few weeks. We moved around a lot in the UK, while squeezing in all sorts of activities like weddings, catching up with family and friends, and driving to, from, and all over Ireland. We then headed South, flew to Argentina and spent no longer than three days in each place we visited place as we squeezed in four different destinations in little more than a week.
We needed an extended break then. We booked six days in a place where you only really need to go and see the falls. A small remote town that lies next to one of the most incredible things this beautiful world has to offer. You only need two days, maybe three, but we booked six and ended up extending to seven. We needed time to take stock, relax, and see the falls on our own terms. We did all of these and stayed in a beautiful place and met some beautiful people. Is right, even if it did proper lash it down when we went over to Brazil to catch the panoramic view of the falls from the other side of the river.
After a week though, it feels good to be back on the road as we travel west across Argentina. Salta has always been a prized destination for both of us, and that is where we’re headed now. We’ve just spent a couple of days in a lovely little town called Corrientes, which lies South of the Paraguayan capital of Ascuncion and on the banks of the mighty Parana river. We’re not long started on this odyssey of ours and we’ve a long way to go for sure, but that single river has dominated our trip so far as it exerts a huge influence over everywhere we’ve been up to now.
In Corrientes the river is the conduit that has always brought life into the city, and is the foundation upon which all of its beauty is built. For us, Corrientes was only ever going to be a mid-point, a stop off on our mighty trip west from one side of Argentina to the other. We booked a private apartment and cooked every meal we ate there apart from the mighty breakfast we treated ourselves too when first climbed off the bus from Puerto Iguazu. Who can resist a walk along a waterfront though? We met fisherman who were gutting their daily catch, were overtaken by an endless stream of lycra clad runners and walkers, and even encountered more than a few lovers sat under blossoming trees and aging gazebos.
That one walk was the extent of our time outside in Corrientes, however, apart from when we were shopping for food. It was a place we found only because we could get a bus there and with so many places to see we felt like we should take time for ourselves. Despite spending a week in Puerto Iguazu we filled every single day with experiences. The Itaipu dam, two days at the falls, Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, and a couple of day exploring the town meant we still needed time to take stock when we left. We took it in Corrientes.
It has served us well too. For me, I’m now sure that this experience has been and will continue to be unlike any travel experience I’ve had before. Travelling with Lindsay is opening up opportunities to explore the places we’re visiting in ways I’ve never before been able to consider. For the same price as a bed each in a hostel we’ve been able to find private rooms and apartments to do with as we wish. It feels more like we’re moving from home to home rather then merely finding somewhere to sleep each place that we go to. Add to this, that we can both speak the local language everywhere we go and we are experiencing levels of comfort I’ve never known before on a backpacking trip while making stronger connections than I’ve ever made before. This is all too good.
This feeling of living everywhere we go will only be enhanced now by the good news we’ve just received. To be fair to us, we’ve had a cloud hanging over us both since the day we boarded the flight to Buenos Aires. Before leaving Barcelona, I struck a deal with work to continue writing while we are away. Literally mere minutes before our Greg was to take us to the airport I received an email saying that this situation wouldn’t continue. I chased it up as much as I could, but finally it appeared like there was no way I could keep contributing while we were away. In Corrientes, however, I found out that I could start writing again. I’ll have to find my rhythm once more, but I know that I will. This all means that even while we’re travelling around the world we can still think about our future and aim high. The dark cloud has passed and there is nothing but blue skies ahead.
It is good to be back on the road then, and it is good to be back in business.