Departure from Zürich
23. lokakuuta 2024, Sveitsi ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Dear real and virtual friends,
The contdown to a fantastic adventure has begun!
Convinced that life is far to short in order to spend it either in a hamster wheel or as products of any form ofLue lisää
Arrival in Buenos Aires
24. lokakuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Landed!
Despite the fatigue from the long flight, setting foot in South America for the first time feels absolutely extraordinary. After months of planning and dreaming about this journey, we’reLue lisää
Buenos Aires: first impressions
26. lokakuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
At first glance, I find Buenos Aires a fascinating city, a mix of monumental architecture and facades bearing the scars of time. For this reason, the city reminds me of Palermo. On the other hand, theLue lisää
Florin Paun
This was the first Spanish administration building in Buenos Aires. It was used as a city council during the colonial era. I spent an hour hier learning about South-american struggle against the Spanish rule & colonial wars... Interessting aspects: links between Napoleonian wars in Europe and South-american fight for independence.
Florin Paun
This museum hosts an impressive colection of presidential artifacts.
MatkaajaThanks a lot that l' m aloud reading your coments and watching your fotos. Have a great journey! All the best Marianne
Walking in La Boca and San Telmo
27. lokakuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
A beautiful sunny spring day in Buenos Aires. We spent the day visiting two famous neighborhoods of the city: La Boca and San Telmo. La Boca can be considered the temple of Argentinian football. SanLue lisää
Discovering the city
28. lokakuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
We've spent five beautiful & sunny days here im Buenos Aires... We will fly soon to Montevideo (Uruguay).
After five days spent in Buenos Aires and many kilometers on foot through the city, weLue lisää
Florin PaunHerzlichen Dank, Eva! Aber das sind keine Ferien, sonder eine Expedition! 🙂
Montevideo: first impressions
30. lokakuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
On October 29, after starting our Pan-American journey with a few days spent in the capital of Argentina, we flew on to Montevideo. We took an Uber from the airport to our hotel in Punta Carretas (aLue lisää
Florin Paun
The old part of the city is located on the peninsula that can be seen in the photo. The cargo port is also there and it is much smaller compared to Hamburg or Buenos Aires for example.
Florin Paun
An example of one of the beautiful buildings with historical character that were once and now is, unfortunately, uninhabited and in a deplorable state.
Florin Paun
This fascinating museum is located in the Heber Jackson Palace, a Rococo mansion built in the 19th century. Here you can find numerous objects from the daily life of gauchos (a type of South American cowboy, a skilled horseman reputed to be brave and unruly) as well as numerous historical information about their involvement in society. The museum also offers a glimpse into the financial history of Uruguay.
Walking in Montevideo
2. marraskuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We spent the last few days in Montevideo exploring the city on foot. The impatience with which we await the arrival of the cargo ship that will bring us Nemo, the Blue Bus is growing. Now the shipLue lisää
Florin Paun
Visiting this beautiful historical building was without doubt one of our highlights in Montevideo. The building was designed by architect Mario Palanti, an italian emigrant living in Buenos Aires and was finished in 1928. With a height of 100m Palace Salvo was for a brief period the highest building in South America.Initially, it was designed to function as a hotel, but after the economic crisis of 1929, it gradually lost its purpose, being reduced to a few rooms in the 60s. Now it functions as an office and apartment building.
Florin Paun
A famous tango written in 1916 by Gerardo Matos Rodrigues. It was first played in a coffe house situated on the actual site of Palacio Salvo. A link (Wikipedia) to listen the music: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La_Cumpars…
Punta del Este
5. marraskuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
On November 3, we left Montevideo and went by bus to Punta del Este. The trip (170 km/2 hours/10 USD pp) is made in a comfortable, modern bus with fast wifi. I remembered the long bus trips inLue lisää
Florin Paun
The first naval battle of World War II took place off these coasts in December 1939. The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee engaged three British ships in the battle. Being damaged, the German ship retreated to Montevideo harbor and was sunk a few days later by her own crew to avoid being captured by the British.
In Punta del Este & around
7. marraskuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ 🌬 20 °C
We don't know exactly when our bus will be delivered to Montevideo, but Punta del Este is definitely not the worst place to wait... Apparently the cargo ship with Nemo on board is anchored near theLue lisää
Florin Paun
Casapueblo (meaning “village house” in Spanish) was the home of Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró. The house includes a museum with art gallery, a hotel and a restaurant. The building complex is designed in the style of Greek island villages and is somewhat reminiscent of Mykonos or Santorini. It is located in Punta Ballena.
Florin Paun
La Mano (The Hand, 1982) is a sculpture by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal in Punta del Este. The work of art is a landmark not only of Punta del Este, but also of Uruguay. The artist later made other copies of his works, the most famous of which is in the Atacama Desert in Chile. If everything goes according to the plan, we are going to see "the desert hand" as well.
Florin Paun
The museum contains many works, but this one caught my attention through the Brancusian note that the text under the phone has: "Hello, operator! I would like to talk to the love of the earth". If I'm not mistaken, Brancusi once said (describing the sound produced by the first pouring of wine into a new clay vessel): "it's the voice of the earth and it's the voice of love".
Punta del Este, last days
11. marraskuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Good news! Yesterday we found out (finally!) that the cargo ship Grande Nigeria will arrive in Montevideo on 11.11.2024 at night. That's why we're leaving for Montevideo tomorrow. Probably on 14-15thLue lisää
Florin Paun
Next to the curio shop is also a small cannabis museum. Uruguay was the first country in South America to legalize the consumption of cannabis. Interestingly, although I spent two weeks here, I rarely saw the consumption of cannabis in public spaces. I have not seen anyone intoxicated or stoned on the street (because THC, alcohol or anything else; in Western Europe it is sad to say a familiar landscape). People seem very "normal", down to earth, well educated, polite. This is probably one of the reasons why many retirees with a good financial situation choose to live as expats in Uruguay.
Florin Paun
Mate is a traditional herbal drink, rich in caffeine. It is prepared by soaking dried leaves of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) in hot water. The infusion is traditionally drunk with a metal straw (bombilla - like this word!) from a container that was traditionally made from a calabash gourd (pictured in the middle; now made of metal). The drink is very popular in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. Many people go for a walk with a bowl of mate and a thermos in which they carry hot water to renew the consumed drink. Drawing from my imagination, I observed the vessels in the museum and on the street.
Florin Paun
I took this panoramic photo while standing on a small sand dune. The vast stretch of almost untouched fine sand (just one person lying on the ground near the lifeguard's hut) left a strong impression on me. Here only the sound of the waves, the gentle wind and the fantastic play of assorted colors in shades of blue and yellow-ochre are present. It's a great privilege to admire this magnificent marine landscape, far from the daily routine and the endless crowds that we are so used to.
Montevideo: Nemo has arrived!
14. marraskuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
On November 12th, after no less than ten days spent in sunny Punta del Este, we returned to Montevideo to begin the procedures for repossession of the car. The cargo ship Grande Nigeria carrying ourLue lisää
MatkaajaYou know what is really true? The fact that through your thoughts and pictures shared here, we can also taste the beauty of this world! I wish you all the good things!
Florin PaunMy dear friend, I hope that after this adventurous trip we can share a bottle of wine and tell many stories... Thank you!
Colonia del Sacramento
16. marraskuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
After we received the camper, we bought some supplies, and we decided to stay one more night in Montevideo. Compared to the draconian European bans, in principle in South America you can do freeLue lisää
Florin Paun
I tryed to speak german with two inhabitants, but they didn't understand a word... Maybe they could understand only Swiss german!? :)
Florin Paun
Sometimes it's difficult to match the wine with the food when everyone orders something different. However, this rosé Cabernet Franc, served chilled on a warm afternoon, went well with the hamburger but also with the "Sorentinos stuffed with blue cheese, vegetables and almonds". Wonderful!
Departure from Uruguay
18. marraskuuta 2024, Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
On November 17, a rainy day, we left the beautiful city of Colonia del Sacramento after spending two sunny days here. We headed to Fray Bentos, a town located in the west of Uruguay, because the nextLue lisää
MatkaajaVielen Dank für die tollen und informativen Beschreibung eurer spannenden Reise. Alles Gute weiterhin.
Florin PaunThe tank had nickname "Fray Bentos". One of its inventors was also owner of a farm, delivering cows to the factory. It was a joke "meat in a tin can box" - the tank as well! 🙂
Through the Argentine Pampas
21. marraskuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
After crossing the Rio Negro and starting to drive across the green plains towards San Antonio de Areco, after a few hours of driving without seeing any particular change in scenery, only the greenLue lisää
Florin Paun
The Falklands War (1982) is present in the memory of Argentines. In several places in Buenos Aires and the last time in San Antonio de Areco I saw commemorative monuments.
Florin Paun
When you're a traveler, but not a tourist, you have time. You don't have to run from one (overrated) tourist attraction to another. You don't have to run somewhere to get entertrained. You can contemplate the world around you from a park bench...
Florin Paun
In the photo, there are some artifacts caused by insects on the windshield. I chose the photo intentionally in order to illustrate a practical point: The Pampas has a lot of insects!!
Hello Patagonia!
23. marraskuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ 🌬 22 °C
Driving further south from Carhue, a town located in the heart of the Pampas, you officially cross the border with Patagonia in the small town of Rio Colorado. When entering this region, you passLue lisää
Florin Paun
The first sunset in Patagonia. Despite the apparent beauty and tranquility, the weather can create unforeseen problems here. A few hours later, in the middle of the night, we were woken up by a thunderstorm. So we made the decision to move to a less romantic but much safer location.
Florin Paun
For those who do not have enough funds to afford a villa by the sea, there are more affordable solutions. These old buses, some of which have not been moved for months or even years, are placed next to the beach and used as temporary or long-term free camping spaces.
Peninsula Valdez
24. marraskuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ 🌬 18 °C
The Valdez Peninsula is one of the "must to see" attractions of Patagonia, an important nature reserve and a World Heritage Site. The main attractions are represented by the rich aquatic andLue lisää
Florin Paun
We didn't see any whales, but that's not what's important... It's incredible that we got here... The Valdez Peninsula, the greatness of the Atlantic landscapes is overwhelming.
From Atlantic to the Andes
28. marraskuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
In the last few days, after exploring the Valdez Peninsula on November 24, we went further south west, leaving the south Atlantic coast and heading towards the Andes. Unfortunately, the weather was/isLue lisää
Florin Paun
The morning of November 25th. We had just spent the night of free camping on Union Beach. Driving along the seafront, we accidentally found this bar, which also served breakfast. The interior decorations, but especially the background music, made me feel, for the first time on this trip, that we are very far from what our home used to be and that we are really on a great journey.
Florin Paun
1952: Young medical student Ernesto Guevara, the future revolutionary Che and his friend Alberto Granado, nicknamed Fuser, embarked on a legendary journey on a 500cc Norton motorcycle across South America. They called their motorcycle "La Poderosa" (trans. "The Mighty One").
Florin Paun
This bus is a means of transport, hotel and camp kitchen at the same time. I spoke with two German tourists on a five-week tour of Chile and Argentina. They complained about the quality of the food. Dinner served by the field kitchen consisted of sauerkraut and canned sausage. Not particularly "Argentinian".
Bienvenidos a Chile!
30. marraskuuta 2024, Chile ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
On November 29, after three rainy days spent in Perito Moreno, relying on the weather forecast that announced sunny and stable weather in the Chilean Andes, we crossed the Argentinian-Clinian borderLue lisää
Florin Paun
After we parked the camper, I put on my hiking boots and climbed almost to the top of the rocky hill in the second last photo. What a reward! Overwhelming feeling, monumental sight...
Florin Paun
The unpaved road is narrow, making it difficult to cross with oncoming traffic.
Florin Paun
This elderly German gentleman has been traveling in South America for several years. Before sending his truck to South America, he traveled to Africa and Europe. He said: "What could I do at home in Germany? Will I look out the window? I will travel the world until either I or the truck can't anymore".
Along Carretera Austral
4.–6. jouluk. 2024, Chile ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
After arriving on November 29th, delighted by the landscapes we had admired so far, in the small town of Puerto Rio Tranquilo, we decided to stay here for two nights. The well known "Marble Caves" areLue lisää
Pumalin National Park
5. joulukuuta 2024, Chile ⋅ 🌧 10 °C
The journey along the Carretera Austral ends for us in Chaiten, from where we took a ferry to Puerto Montt. Chaiten is a completely uninteresting town, without any special attractions of its own. ButLue lisää
Florin Paun
Here we are at the Pacific! But since the Carratera Austral does not have a connection to the north with another road, we have to take a ferryboat. The distance between the mentioned cities can be covered either by a long ferry ride (9 hours) directly or by ca. 200 km gravel road plus changing ferries 3 times for short distances. I chose the first option.
Florin Paun
Abandoned places and especially ghost towns are particularly attractive to me. After I learned from iOverlander that there is an abandoned prison on the outskirts of the city, I put it on my "go-to" list.
Florin Paun
It's interesting to note that there is free wifi (fast!!) on board. Of course, on European ferries (at least the ones we went on), where the tourist or traveler is seen as a good cash cow, you have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a limited amount of data.
Volcanoes, rivers and lakes
8. joulukuuta 2024, Chile ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
After arriving in Puerto Montt late at night, we didn't want to look for a suitable campsite or parking space. But the fantastic IOverlanders App helps us immensely, we identified a parking space forLue lisää
Florin Paun
In this region, many buildings, whether hotels or private homes, are very similar to those in the European Alps. This is partly due to European immigration from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Florin Paun
Sometimes finding a parking space for Nemo near busy markets is not easy. But with a little patience & luck...
Florin Paun
With so many rivers and mountain lakes, it's no wonder salmon is so popular here. The vendor's gaze is interesting as she waits, holding what we just bought in his hand and smiling at the picture. Rahel was searching for money in her backpack...
From Puyehue NP to Bariloche
10. joulukuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
After admiring the wonderful waterfalls at Petrohue, we headed to Puyehue National Park, whose abundant vegetation is another example of a temperate rainforest. We spent December 9th hiking in theLue lisää
Florin Paun
In the border area between Argentina and Chile, in the so-called "no man's land", there is a large area of dead forest. I don't know why the trees died. At the border crossing (here is at Passo Cardenal A. Samore, especially if you are crossing from Argentina to Chile) customs control is very strict. Firewood is on the list of prohibited products. (Wood parasites maybe?).
Florin Paun
Bariloche resembles the typical resorts in the European Alps. If I had only seen one picture I could say it was taken in Austria or the Bavarian Alps. Although it is very popular, the city itself is not special, only the location, with lots of national parks and ski slopes around.
Florin Paun
As in the Alps, especially in Switzerland, there is a real chocolate culture in Bariloche. I tasted a small sample, very good, although somewhat different from the Swiss one.
The long way to Mendoza
14. joulukuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
After leaving Bariloche, a city that didn't particularly impress us, probably because the cliché "Alps" was familiar to us from Europe, we set off on the well-known route 40 towards Mendoza. TheLue lisää
Florin Paun
This young man, whom we met at the Buta Ranquil campsite, is walking across Argentina from north to south. Before that, he had cycled around South America. His face shows joy and deep happiness. "It's not my legs that move me, it's my mind," he said happily... Meanwhile, a bunch of unhappy idiots are complaining in a five-star hotel that the restaurant buffet doesn't have enough ingredients for their special detox salad. Yes, indeed, happiness is a state of mind...
Florin Paun
Along the floodplains there is much vegetation that contrasts with the dry steppe found on the adjacent hills.
Finca Garcierena
17. joulukuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
A visit to Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina, would not be complete without spending a few days at a "finca," a lodge on a winery. So we decided to spend two nights at the lodge at FincaLue lisää
Florin PaunSehr gut, aber wir haben nicht viel davon konsumiert. However, die Spirulina detox Getränk war fantastisch! Yoga war auch angesagt... Witz! 🤣
MatkaajaDas sieht sehr komfortabel aus. Hoffentlich habt ihr euch etwas verwöhnen lassen.
Mendoza & around
18. joulukuuta 2024, Argentiina ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We spent the last few days in Mendoza, the Argentine wine capital (although Argentina has many wine regions, 80% of the wine production comes from here). The city seemed quiet to us, with lots ofLue lisää
Florin Paun
This type of ornamental pottery, but of course on a much larger scale, I saw in Andalusia, and particularly in Seville.
Florin Paun
It is interesting to observe the security guards. They would probably be the first to intervene if they noticed criminal activity in the pedestrian area (pickpockets, scammers, etc.). Begging or other forms of consumer harassment are not accepted in tourist and restaurant areas.
Florin Paun
Interesting to see how many employees (in the picture I counted 12 people from the staff, but not all of them were captured in the photo) were in the restaurant. The service was excellent, the quality was first class, the head waiter personally came to our table twice. Half an hour later all the tables were occupied... And without wanting to compare too much, I remembered a restaurant back home where last time instead of a homemade wiener schnitzel they gave a schnitzel from a freezer bag... Something like that in Argentina would not be possible, because the high competition but also the demands of consumers force high standards.
Florin Paun
Some people are constantly running in circles, deluding themself that everything they do is either well thought out or inevitable. We will never be able to be truly happy if we do not define higher goals than the daily routine, but above all the concrete ways to achieve them.
Florin Paun
There are some places where you just feel good and safe, for example in the garden of the house where we lived for the last seven years. However... Unfortunately, this cherry will be uprooted. A not particulary nice neighbour fieled a complaint and since we don't live here anymore...
Florin Paun
These photos were taken three weeks ago, when I took the camper to Hamburg (Germany) to embark it on a cargo ship to Montevideo (Uruguay). The photos before boarding must be taken as proof that there were no damages before bording.