Rene and me had to plan our next adventure, as we were running short of US dollars cash (an important necessity in Argentina), as such the agreement was that it needed to be near the boarder with Paraguay. Reading around the internet I stumbled upon this place which has plenty of gushing reviews. I would agree with them and as such this article is simply to add more details (that we would have found useful).
On leaving, Erick did warn me that if we thought the people of Buenos Aires had issues with the British and the Falklands, it would be magnified in Corrientes. Apparently, it is where all the hardened fighters are located who consider themselves more Agentine then the rest of the country… Thanks mate!
The route we took involved catching a bus from Mercedes. Be warned there are various Mercedes in Argentina so to avoid yourself ending half way up the Andies ask for Mercedes in Corrientes. A number of companies do the trip, the first question to ask is at what time does the bus arrive in Mercedes (the next bus you will have to catch is at 12pm), then the price.
We went with a company called Itati, as paying by cash meant it cost you 448 pesos ($50/£33) (semi cama), which includes a meal on board (to our surprise). However, the downside was that they felt the need to leave the TVs on most of the time which made sleeping an issue.
Then its about 4am, asleep on board the bus and the driver shakes me to wake up and says ‘You wanted Mercedes?’. So Rene and me, in a dreamy haze, thanked the driver and wonder off… and realise we are the only two to get off the bus at this point. With the exception of a few flickering lights in the station the town was otherwise shrouded in darkness. Dogs wondered around the terminal, a drunk local was trying to get his car out of one of the bays in the bus station but having issues distinguishing between first gear and reverse and on the welcome sign the Union Jack had been painted over and been replaced by a second French flag. As such we begun to wonder where we had ended up. Rene decided that the best way to handle the situation was to go to sleep on one of the benches, leaving me to look after the luggage.
A few hours later, the darkness was shattered by the rising sun. With this a number of the shops begun to open, so I wondered over to the one marked ‘information’ behind the terminal. The disgruntled employee who was wanting to do his cross word and drink a coffee informed me that the bus to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini stopped running about a year ago. As I was about to challenge this, having read differently on the Internet, he waved me to another office and said I could find more out there (the thought did cross my mind that the sign at the front of his store should more helpfully have read ‘No useful information here, ask the ladies two doors down instead’).
The women in the next shop thankfully pointed us in the right direction. The bus for Colonia Carlos Pellegrini is located near the old bus terminal as it is more cost effective for them. Tickets cost 150 pesos ($17/£11) and the bus departs at 12pm. A number of four by fours leave but these tend to wait for a group of six to gather, which is not usually difficult (you will easily note the other tourists in the bus station, most of whom will be going to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini). If interested, the price we were offered was 400pesos/person ($45/£30).
The route here begins on tarmac but quickly turns into a bumpy dirt road which kept us pinging around in the rear of the mini bus (no seat belts) like an angry child’s bag of marbles being flung across the garden. The scenery is of wet grass lands with a few trees until you cross the rickety wooden bridge when the large lagoon dominates the landscape. The water is a deep blue and glistens in the bright sunshine, enticing you to cool down by taking a dip in it. Although the killjoy locals warn you that the water is full of piranhas, of which they are probably right…
Colonia Carlos Pellegrini is a small village but spread over a large area laid out on a grid system. The streets are a mix of sand, red earth and small, unbound stones (a bugger if like me you tried to go local and walk barefoot). There are often gaps of 200-500m between properties, with grassy patches separating the two. The houses are largely bungalows constructed of red brick or masonry with corrigated tin roofs.
Rene and me wondered round the village in an attempt to find somewhere to stay. The first accommodation is run by the friendly and laid back Carlos called ‘Hospeje Ibera’. The rooms are basic but include a fan and a/c (you will need these here), and the price of 130 pesos ($14.60/£9.70) includes a breakfast of coffee and toast. But in true traveller we wondered the whole village assessing the prices… only to find this was the cheapest (and nearest to the lagoon).
Temperatures soar here into the 30s and beyond with the heat usually being turned up to near boiling by 8.30am with little relief until after 5pm (visited in Feb/March 2015). Makes for drying clothes excellent but a walk around the village a sweaty experience.
At the bus terminal we met a friendly Polish couple. We explained how although we are British and German we were pretending to be Australian. Our plan seem to be working… until we were asked several questions about Oz including: What is the Barrier Reef like? How do you call these animals in Australia? Do you have snow there? Which side of the road do you drive on? Neither of us having visited the country we just had to guess the answers, much to the amusement of the Polish couple.
There are two boat trips, one in the morning and one in the afternoon (you will soon understand why there is not one in the day). You will get conflicting opinions which is best but, with the Polish couple, we took the morning one. The cost was 130 pesos ($14.60/£9.70) (more expensive if you do not do the tour in a group of 4+, but you generally find others you can go with). This glides you around the lagoon to see the aquatic plants and animals that live in the habitat. Recommended.
We did meet an Argentinean couple on board who insited we try their tea. The tea, called ‘Mate’ (pronouced Ma-tea), comes loose in a dried form which is placed into a mug. In this case hot water is added, but you can put cold water and even juices like apple and some sugar to sweeten if you wish. The mixture is then sucked through a straw. In this case the ‘straw’ was metal, which meant it partly burnt your lips. The flavour though is similar to a strong tea and is apparently great for digestion (Recommended Arboles).
In the night time they do a ‘Nocturnal Safari’, which in our opinion was a complete waste of 100pesos ($11\£7.50). Firstly, the animals you find can be seen roaming around near the river any time of day. Secondly, the path (as can be seen from the photos) is clearly laid out to guide you around the forest and has helpful information boards (so you can easily do the tour yourself). Thirdly it is located 15 mins walk from the village, over the wooden bridge. Fourtly, myself, Rene and the Polish girl (Justyna) can speak some Spanish but as a group of Argentinean people came with us the guide spoke so fast it was hard for us to keep up (we consistently asked him to slow down).
Well the trip was nearly a complete waste until we had to cross a large muddy puddle. A branch lay through the puddle and Rene tried to walk it with some suffictication, but firstly missed his footing so trod in the muddle water. He then tried to put his feet back on the branch but ended up, in comedy style, falling into the puddle. Initially stifled, the laughter turned to out loud hilarity.
The following day Rene and me parted company (briefly, not because of the above!), as the village is tranquil, there are no bars, nightclubs or WiFi and the place tends to close down around 9-10pm. Great for me but Rene craved the bright lights, so we argreed to meet in Asuncion (Paraguay). To take this route return to Mercades (cost 150 pesos [$17/£11]), then get a bus to Corrientes. Buses run through the day (I caught mine at 1.40am) at a cost of 140 pesos ($15/£10). The journey is 3hrs, but remember to set your alarm as the bus driver will not wake you up at the correct stop. Then get a bus to Asuncion for 205 pesos ($23/£15.50) (with the company: Pulqui), a trip of about 6 hours.
As you can see from one of the photos traffic was a real problem (the village at rush hour).
Totally Unrelated:
The Polish couple explained that in the Borat movie, not only was it never shot in Kasatan but he actually speaks in Polish! Secondly Poland was the first country to vote in a consitution. Three years later it was wiped from the map completely for 100 years, hence their ‘love’ of Germans and Russians (fortunately the Brits didn’t seem to upset them that much).
Signing off with love from South America
justindvblog 