Well, aren´t I whizzing through Argentina? Today I find myself on my first stop in Patagonia, in the province (and capital city of) Neuquen. As I am aiming to be in Santiago by the middle of April I only stopped in San Rafael for a few days, giving myself just enough time for a visit to another winery and a tour of the local wonder of nature, the Cañon del Atuel.
Not wanting to fork out for a hire car by myself (too hard to map read when you´re driving), I decided it would be easier to book an all day tour. Most of the tours kindly collect you from your hotel in a little minibus, usually with an alarming spider´s web of cracks across the windscreen due to the quantity of gravel they spend their time speeding through.
Although in the same province as Mendoza, the countryside surrounding San Rafael is noticeably different. Where closer to Mendoza city is all towering peaks (some with snow), San Rafael is jagged rocks and gullies. We made several pit stops to appreciate the area´s more aesthetically pleasing aspects, including the Dique de Nihuel, before an atmospheric and nerve-wracking drive through the stunning Cañon del Atuel. I found that there was an optional rafting excursion through the bottom of the Cañon and, as I showed such a natural aptitude in Mendoza, I happily clambered aboard. As we floated along a quieter part of the rushing stream our instructor nudged my shoulder and pointed up. Above us, silloueted against the blue sky was a condor, wheeling against the craggy cliffs. Then, for some still unknown reason (my Spanish is still very sketchy), the instructor made me climb out of the raft and cling on to the side through the next bit of rapid, all the while shouting at me incomrehensibly. I have only just recovered from the combined experience.
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