Continental Drift #5: Farewell Argentina - Argentina

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I just looked at the calendar and realized that February is upon us. Normally, this annual event does not evoke too much of a response from a carefree guy such as myself, but I made these grand plans for a trans-continental journey, and well, I have really fallen behind. I accept no personal responsibility - all the blame lies with Argentina. Between the breathtaking natural wonders, the easy-going way of life, and the intense local hospitality, I have found it quite hard to tear myself away.

To give the reader a taste of what I have been exposed to in the last month: Asado barbecues, gorgeous national parks, Grand Hermano (Big Brother) reality shows which have two 24-hour cable stations showing the (lack of) action at all hours, penguins, sea-lions and dolphins, nightclubs that don't get rockin' until 4am, crime-watch "Cronica TV" which regularly displays the most graphic images of the day from car wrecks to mass protests to decapitated cops, "How to Avoid Kidnapping" magazines, horrible boy bands (are they taking over the world?), mayonesa, mayonesa, mayonesa, dinners at midnight, bikini-filled beaches, awe-inspiring mountain views, red meat everywhere, hangin' with punk-rock rock climbers, smoked-out artesanos, big-time dj's, the endless search for something spicy, the irresistible Argentine traditional mate tea (with or without sugar), twirling fire by night, breathtaking glaciers, the traditional morning media luna croissants, luxurious busses, beautiful dark-haired dark-skinned women, ham, ham and more ham (to go along with all the mayo...), the alluring sound of tango music, picturesque lakeside towns, hitchhiking on the open road, incessant talk of football (being soccer, unless you are speaking of NFL, in which case all the focus is on Super Bowl winning Argentine kicker Martin Gramatica), Quilmes Cerveza, and local slang such as che, voludo and barbaro, hitchhiking, youth hostels and more mayonesa.

The problem here is that I have become so caught up in the pleasures this country has to offer that I have lost track of my master plan: crossing the continent. So, mark my word here, the journey will continue and the first thing I need to do is switch countries; in other words, I am Chile-bound.

Though I have been traveling a considerable bit, I have only really made it about 1,500 miles north from my embarkation point of Ushuaia, the End of the World. According to my initial plan, I had 6,000 miles to cover in 60 days, which was an average of 100 miles a day (or 4 miles per hour). But consulting the World Atlas (my Bible), I can see that in my first 30 days, I have only gotten about 1,500 miles closer to my destination of Sao Luis, Brazil. It appears as if I need to re-adjust my plans and desired speed. With 4,500 miles to cover in 30 days, I now need to increase my speed to 150 miles per day or 6 miles per hour. To put this into more common terms, what was once a thoughtful walk is now a more resolute trot.

Keeping with the format of a mid-term report, here is a look at some of my statistics of the first month of my journey:

Distance covered in total: 1,950 miles (3,100 km)

Cost of combined transportation: $127

Cost in relation to distance covered: $1 for every 15 miles ($1 for every 24 km)

Cost of money spent for each hour of transit: 50 cents an hour

Total hours spent in transit: 65 hours

Number of overnight busses: 3

Number of beds slept in: 17

Number of nights in jail: 0

So far, so good, but it's time to get back to work as I hit the open road, with the wind in my face and eyes open to the wonders before me. Here's to a fabulous February...


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