Another hot day and sadly, not a lot to report, as it was another uninteresting drive. From Rio Colorado to the city of Bahia Blanca the countryside is as flat as a pancake with nothing but scrubby vegetation. The road is almost dead straight. Dennis did cheer once when we encountered a slight bend.
Bahia Blanca
Bahia Blanca is a sizeable place on the coast. We just caught a glimpse of the sea as we drove through. The outskirts are rather depressing with abandoned buildings and various industrial plants. We stopped in the centre as we found a Carrefour supermarket. I hoped we would be able to find some of the things we had been struggling to locate, in a different brand of supermarket.
I don’t know why, but I cannot find any boxes of tissues. At first we could find small boxes, but the last, at least six stores I have visited, have had none. Today all I could find was a pack of little packs with about 10 tissues in each.
Another thing I cannot now locate is blueberries. In Chile they were everywhere. We could even buy them at the roadside. Sometimes supermarkets have tiny packs, but for the last couple of days I haven’t been able to find any.
We stopped for lunch in a shady spot under some trees on the outskirts of Bahia Blanca. This afternoon’s drive was a little more interesting. In and around Bahia Blanca there were a number of road building projects that have started, but seem to have come to a full stop. On the way out of town we were diverted on to different bits of road. New pieces seemed to be half finished and just left. Perhaps the money to continue ran out.
North of Bahia Blanca the scenery changed. Quite intensive agriculture. Many herds of beef cattle, fields of baled hay and crops growing. Mainly maize and sunflowers. It’s the first time we have seen sunflowers being grown in South America.
Tonight we are camped in a Municipal Park. It isn’t technically a camp ground, but you are permitted to camp. When we arrived it was deserted. We set up camp in the shade on a grassy field. There are toilets and barbecue pits and places to sit. This evening footballs are being kicked about on the field next to us, some people are jogging or walking. Others just pass by to have a look at us.
It is 20.40 and already the sun is going down. It’s a beautiful pink behind the toilet block. It is getting dark much earlier as we progress north.
As the weather is warmer, all the bugs are out in force. Last night we resorted to sleeping inside our mosquito net, having been severely bitten the two previous nights. This evening we don’t seem to have mosquitoes, but plagues of flies. These will depart with darkness.
Planning for Buenos Aries
I am not making much progress finding accommodation in Buenos Aires. I’m trying to find somewhere with secure parking. Booking.com tells you if a property has parking, but I have no idea what sort of parking. Whether it will be high enough for Poki to enter. I have written to several properties asking if their parking is suitable, but not one has replied. I’m now trying some Airbnb properties.
Well, peace and quiet have come to an end. It’s now 21.10 and a family has just pulled in right beside us. The son has started playing football in the dark, the father has lit the barbecue, the mother has produced a large bottle of coke and an even larger speaker which is now blaring out latino music and more people are arriving all the time. So much for the peace and quiet!
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