Since the road had come to an end there was no other option but to turn around and head back north. This time we followed the east coast of Argentina as soon as we left the island of Tierra del Fuego. Probably partly because of the news* we received in Ushuaia and probably because we felt like we had “accomplished” a goal, we travelled much slower. The trip had never been an holiday, which is the way we wanted it, but as soon as we left Ushuaia it started to feel more like an overlanding holiday.
Ultimate freedom
As we drove north the wind got less and the temperatures were slowly rising. Ushuaia had been relatively cold, but also windy. It was interesting to feel the weather and climate changing. Much more graduate and further south than we had experienced in the opposite direction. We went hiking with Layla, went on off-road adventures with Grisu and we chilled on the beach surrounded by nothingness.
It was the ultimate feeling of freedom, being able to park and sleep virtually everywhere. Something forbidden and considered impossible almost everywhere in Europe. This summarized one of the things we liked the most from South America. The freedom and hospitality where South America, and Argentina especially, is superior to all European countries together.
Parrots
One of the highlights was our stay with the parrots on the beach. Thousands of birds living in the rocks erecting vertically from the ocean. It also happened to be mating time, partners were sought and couples were formed. Love was literally in the air and flying in pairs around us. Surrounded by nature we parked basically on the beach. Parrots in the air, sea lions on the rocks and foxes patrolling the area.
Unfortunately, we’re also accompanied by one of the most “useless” creatures on the planet; ticks. It was a beautiful area to let Layla run around freely, but we had to check her a few times a day. In most cases, we cleaned her of more than just one tick. But it could be worse, one of the stray dogs staying around Grisu had almost more ticks than hears. He was happy with the food and water, but he wasn’t too excited when Clara tried to remove some ticks. It was too painful. Luckily we travel with some anti-parasite tablets for dogs. We gave him one, and just 24 hours later some ticks had shrunk in/on his coat and others had fallen off. We hope it made him feel a little better.
It was truly a great time, look here for some more impressions. It didn’t take long before the overlanding holiday feeling started to give us the feeling we needed a new “goal” again. We decided to head for Buenos Aires to get some things done. This would give us as much time as we needed, to then go for a little “bonus-trip” later, returning to Buenos Aires again.
In Buenos Aires we would meet Marcelo and José, who we met in Chapelco near San Martín de los Andes. José owns a workshop in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, a perfect opportunity to do some maintenance work for Grisu.
*News, stay tuned for more details later.
