Wetlands, grasslands and Gauchos (cowboys)

I headed to Carlos Pelegrini in the middle of the marshy National Park Esteros de Ibera to check out the wildlife. I met Lien from Belgium in the bus station, which was great as I then had a buddy to explore with for the next few days.

Pelegrini really is the middle of no-where - we drove for 3 hours in a wierd 4wd bus over dirt roads past grasslands... with the occasional glimpse of beret wearing cowboys on horses, cows, crocodiles, rhea (like ostriches) and other bird life. The town itself is nothing much, no main street just a few guesthouses, restaurants and a tiny store dotted amongst spread out houses. Mind you we were well looked after with delicious home cooked meals... some of the cheapest and best food I´ve had here. We walked to check out the laguna and park trails, and found capybara everywhere and just glimpsed an armadillo. (For capybara think giant semi-aquatic rodents the size of wombats but with semi webbed feet to help them swim... Apparently they´re now protected but previously were eaten and also kept as pets/lawnmowers!) We also took a guided boat tour on the lake which was freezing, and even the wildlife looked pretty cold and miserable - deer huddled together, capybara huddled near reeds, caiman (crocs) floating in the water cos its apparently warmer for them. Still, saw a nest of baby caiman, a turkey like bird guarding its nest and lots of other birdlife. And got walk on one of the ¨islands¨ - they are actually floating plant material of up to 2 metres thick which all wobbles like jelly or a giant floating raft if you jump on it!

We caught a local bus to Mercedes, also along muddy dirt roads, and had a bit of a scare when the electrical connections and lights failed and the driver being unable to see the road in the dark slowly sliped off the side. The bus ended up on a alarming tilt, and we all calmly piled out into the cold and darkness and waited to see what would happen. They got the problem fixed and the bus going again after a few tries, and even managed to drive it back onto the road, so we got to Mercedes ok. Enough night bus rides for one day though, so we stayed in Mercedes overnight. Its a small relaxed colonial town with quite nice buildings, and with cowboys (often dressed in distinctive leather boots and beret or black hat) and kids wandering around.