Argentina is Europe, but it’s even more beautiful than that: it’s immense, it’s strong in culture and in tango
Peruvians are the descendants from the Incas, Mexicans are the descendants from the Mayans, Argentines are descended from boats. This little joke may make you laugh, but it says a lot about this country.
Buenos dias Argentina, mi nombre es Christine, soy francesa, ¡estoy muy feliz de conocerte! Hi Argentina!
Take some Native Americans and European settlers, mix it all together and let a few centuries go by, and here is Argentina!
So Argentina is a country of crossbreeding, but that’s not where the culture shock is
Argentina’s discovery of the country takes time, above all, be ready, it will be a long travel
5200km long and 1400km wide, this is a country that it is better to take the time to explore
From 100m below sea level to the Aconcagua, which peaks at 6960m (no, not 7000!), we approach 3 million km² (2 766 691 for the quibblers).
What awaits you in the exploration leaves you stunned. The men, the landscapes and the culture is as strong as the mate, this powerfull and bitter tea.
The pampas with their proud gauchos look like John Ford cowboys, but when you get a little closer, you’ll see that they’re much more adept at sipping their bitter mate with one hand the reins, in the other playing with a silver-butt revolver.
These plains are a strange silver-green colour, covered with greasy, opulent and wild grasses that undulate with the wind. They look like the sea. This is where the cows graze that will soon be barbecued during the famous Argentinean asados.
Mira, mira! (look, look, look!)
Argentina has hundreds of tourist attractions. The beautiful Mesopotamia with its very famous Iguazù Falls is one of the best known with, of course, the end of the world, Ushuaia.
One of the most extraordinary and least known place to be are the Esteros del Ibeirà swamps: this prime piece of Argentina can be compared to nothing else. It is perfect beauty. Nothing is missing: the light just at the right intensity, neither strong nor cold, the crazy birds, the deer swimming in the marshes with elegance.
This swampy area is the second largest on the continent and it is possible to discover a fantastic fauna. A crowd of birds, capybaras, armadillos, deer, crocodiles, etc.
These landscapes are simply bewitching. The traveller can just sit in the boat or in the car and contemplate the view: it’s even better than at the cinema.
An immense territory of great diversity: Argentina has a thousand faces, you will need more than one travel to explore it
On the list of wonders to see in Argentina there is also Patagonia, the Cuyo region, the history of the wines, the discreet villages of Cayafate. Argentina is an immense territory of incredible wealth.
Is Argentina a dangerous country to travel?
There are plenty of sad stories about security in Argentina. Most of them are true. But let’s not forget that it is a very big country. Therefore, it is important to respect the proportions.
I walked around Buenos Aires for weeks at an average of 20 km per day. I took buses, taxis and I didn’t meet a big bad wolf. Yes, crime exists here, but it is no more virulent, if not less, than somewhere else.
By respecting rule number 1: “Don’t do anything stupid” and by taking the necessary precautions when going out (very very late) in the milongas of the capital, everything should go well. Go out in groups, wait for a taxi inside, do not take a lot of money with you, just stay vigilant but do not get paranoid.
Outside the big cities where it is difficult to make a global picture, I met mostly nice people, happy to meet me and ready to help if needed.
Gracias Argentina, adiós, hasta pronto!
Next travel: how about Chile?
The trip can only be made up or down. Chile is a path strewn with history, wine, revolution, push, suffering and joy and multicolored city.