Slow exit

Exit, not departure. According to my online dictionary, the latter means leaving a place, whereas the former means the way in which one leaves. A slow exit has its merits. And by slow I mean by foot, down a 200m dirt driveway, having to negotiate my pink suitcase around mud puddles, very successfully I might add.I waited until they were all doing yoga on the lawn before my grand exit – I had no intention of having witnesses. My ‘long walk’ towards a new adventure. Time for reflection, for a farewell. The gate at the end of the driveway was only the beginning, as I had 6 blocks to go to catch the local bus, and 6 more once I got to Santa Fe. I made it, and am on the night bus to Puerto Iquazu, my next destination.

The last couple of days have been eventful, as usual. On Friday I joined the yoga class outside, and impressed the instructress, Laura, with my abilities. Stretching felt good and relaxation at the end of the hour with the smell of grass and the warmth of the sun on my body, even better. Laura very kindly offered me her bicycle, and on Saturday I explored Sauce Viejo from one end to the other, discovering big houses, deserted houses, old cars, parks and even a sandy beach at the river.
Two interesting guests joined us as volunteers during the weekend. One is a drone fundi that came to plot the area and record videos for marketing. He is from Spain, living in Buenos Aires, where he’s launching a project to drop tree seeds with a drone, to counteract deforestation. Research needs to be done to establish the most beneficial way of preparing the seeds beforehand, but he is hopeful that the necessary funding will be obtained and people contacted. Admirable, to say the least.

The other person is a young traveller from Spain who has spent the past 3 years in Argentina. He is brimming with information and has given me some excellent tips and places of interest to explore. These young travellers have a unique way of doing things. They are well equipped with cameras (with huge lenses), have music, videos and series on their computers, with earphones. They have sleeping bags, very few clothing items, boots and a warm jacket and everything fits into a rucksack. They brew teas with curcuma, cocoa leaves, thistle or any herb that is cleansing and energizing, they are open minded and alternative in their approach to life and people, and they are ingenious about finding jobs to pay their way.  I’m half traveler, half tourist, which suits me – I’m trying to act my age. 

Do you know how complicated it is to paint the SA flag to scale? It was quite a job and required thorough research, but the result is spectacular, don’t you agree? On the stoep wall, with all the other flags:


I invariably land up on the back of a bike, no matter where I am. This time Alejandros wanted to buy poles at a sawmill on Monday, and invited me along. Don’t make assumptions (the 3rd of Ruiz’s The Four Agreements). I never asked how far we were going  I just assumed it was at the next village. Well,  35km on the highway, passing cars and going like crazy, and me holding on for dear life. But it was FUN!! And then a further 15km to have lunch at a special little restaurant that does ‘family cooking’, as they call it here. My first empanada, freshly baked, crisp and tasty, and fish from the Parana river, firm white fillet, well prepared, although a bit too salty. And white wine from Mendosa, the rest of which I had to cope with on the back of the bike. Holding on with one hand just felt too perilous, so I shoved the bottle down the front of my top. Much safer…


The man at the sawmill was about my age, and proudly showed me the meal they were cooking next to the reception bungalow.  He also wants to travel, he said.Of course the mate was made and offered, and much to my surprise sugar had been added. Not so good.  Which reminds me: Ale pointed out to us that all the ground coffee sold in Argentina has sugar added to it. We didn’t want to believe him, but it is clearly stated on the package.  What a disappointment.I did my first Argentian constellation!! On the grass outside, with 4 beautifully sensitive people. The horses were around, the river in the background and the late afternoon sun shining through the trees. One of the Spanish volunteers did an a excellent job of translating while representing as well. I am só excited, would love to pursue this avenue of work. On Tuesday, my last night, Alejandros barbecued meat and stir fried vegetables as a special treat, much appreciated.

The parting gift this morning was a turtle that appeared from the forest, making its way accross the grass to the river, literally falling down steps and into the water. It came up twice, as if in greeting. Goodbye turtle, goodbye Camino del Indio, goodbye Alejandros and goodbye Ale. Thank you for an incredibly special time.