Mercedes - Corrientes - Santa Fe

Friday 21 July 2006

In my last installment mentioned the 0400 mini bus departure. It actually arrived at 0350, but I was up, showered and ready. This time the bus was full of locals. The smarter tourists had either driven themselves or were taking the 4x4 service to Posadas. We arrived as dawn was just starting to break.

I had two transport options from Mercedes: catch the 1045 bus back the city of Corrientes or the 1900 (approx) bus direct to Santa Fe. The Santa Fe bus arrives at about 0300, which did not thrill me. So I chose Corrientes, which I had skipped on the way down. Both my guide books stated that there was not much in the way of budget accommodation in Corrientes, and this is exactly what I found. The Gran Hotel Tourismo may ave been the best option at A$60 a night (US$20), but they were booked out. I ended up at the Orly Hotel, located in the commercial centre. This hotel was more expensive still, at A$87.50 (about US$30), for a small room with a single bed, mini bar, TV etc and breakfast. It would do.

I found Corrientes to be quite similar to Posadas in many ways, though, possibly more attractive architecturally. I also got the sense that culturally there was more going on here. There is "peatonal" (pedestrianised street) through the centre, which is always nice change from the narrow streets choked with traffic and the crowded, narrow sidewalks (where you are often forced into the street). The city was clearly concerned with its appearance. The plazas and little parks around the centre were well maintained (the Parque Mitre, by the river, and surrounds could do with a little attention). Orange suited teams walked up and down the peatonal, constantly bending over to pick up every last scrap of rubbish. Couldn't they give these guys those tweezer-like implements that most street cleaners use?

The river provides a good opportunity for a walk. Corrientes is on the Rio Paraná, the same river that starts up at Iguazú, passes Posadas and the Yacyreta Dam and then flows south by Rosario to its delta on the Rio de la Plata, just west of Buenos Aries. I found the tourist information office by the river and not at the Plaza JB Cabral as my guide books had shown. They loaded me up with brochures. Interestingly, many of them were bilingual, in Spanish and Guaraní. The Guaraní are the indigenous people of the region. A little further on was the tiny and rather sad jardin zoologico (zoo), which I caught just before it closed at 1800. Photos of Corrientes can be found here.

Saturday 22 July 2006

Now that I had a feeling for where things were, I filled my Saturday morning with cultural activities. I started with the excellent architectural brochure in hand that maps out several short walking tours. I began at the Plaza 25 de Mayo, which is the civic centre of Corrientes and is said to be (according to Lonely Planet) one of the best preserved plazas in Argentina. It certainly was visually attractive and practically deserted. There was one lone police man standing diagonally opposite the Casa de Gobierno. At the centre of the plaza was the man who makes regular appearances in plazas across Argentina, General José de San Martín, El Libertador, riding his horse, right arm extended. He is also becoming a regular in my photo album. San Martín was a key figure in the Argentineans' fight for independence from Spain between 1812 to 1816.

Next I located the Museo de Bellas Artes, or fine arts museum. Unfortunately, most of the galleries were closed for renovation. The lady at the front desk and the guard in blue and gray military fatigues were very apologetic. The one gallery that was open had an exhibition titled "Rembrandt Examinado" (I'll let you work that one out).The show contained contemporary Argentinean artists' interpretations in painting, sculpture, photography and video of some of the Master's works. The building itself was quite interesting. It was built by one of the provincial governors in the 1860s. Much of the material used in its construction came from Europe. At least this is what I understood.

I walked the block and a half to the provincial historical museum only to find that it too was closed for repairs - roof work. Time to head across the Paraná to Resistencia. With a little help I found the bus stop for the "Chaco-Corrientes Directo" bus and A$1.50 and 25 minutes later I was in the centre of Resistencia. It was just after midday and the city was quiet. I made a half-hearted attempt to look for accommodation. But, after wandering around for half an hour with both my packs, I came to the conclusion that the best option was to investigate my transport options at the bus terminal. I bought a ticket for the 2235 bus to Santa Fe, ate a "hamburguesa especial" (includes cheese, ham and a fried egg, as opposed to the "comun" which is just the burger) and found a place to store my bag for A$1. I had seven hours to play with, so I thought I would do a little more exploring.

Resistencia is known as the city of sculptures. There are said to be over 300. The centre for the city is clustered around the Plaza 25 de Mayo (also featuring our favorite revolutionary general on horseback). The afternoon siesta was in effect, and so the streets were deserted and just about everything was closed. I have found that most provincial cities and town strictly observe the afternoon siesta, which lasts from 1300 to 1700. This did make for a good opportunity to wander the streets in peace.

There were plenty of sculptures of all sizes, scattered randomly around the city. I found a sculpture of some description at almost every intersection. The more affluent neighborhoods appeared to be on the northwest side of the Plaza 25 de Mayo along with many of the bars and eateries. After a few hours I felt that I had made the right decision. I had seen pretty much all I had wanted to see and found the colectivo (local bus) back to the long distance bus terminal. The trip to Santa Fe takes about 7 hours. Photos from Resistencia are here.