Трэвел (travel) блог по Патагонии

The country of our journey was Argentina. Where we went to visit our close friend Ramiro. Let’s get acquainted! We are – me, Margarita from Russia, Julia and her little son Michael from Germany. The three of us went a long way inside this stunning country and our routes diverged only a couple of times

Страной нашего путешествия стала Аргентина, куда мы отправились навестить нашего близкого друга Рамиро. Давайте познакомимся! Мы – это я, Маргарита из России, Юлия и её сынок Михаэль из Германии. Втроём мы проделали большой путь внутри этой потрясающей страны, и наши маршруты расходились лишь пару раз.

The country of our journey was Argentina. Where we went to visit our close friend Ramiro. Let’s get acquainted! We are – me, Margarita from Russia, Julia and her little son Michael from Germany. The three of us went a long way inside this stunning country and our routes diverged only a couple of times

Страной нашего путешествия стала Аргентина, куда мы отправились навестить нашего близкого друга Рамиро. Давайте познакомимся! Мы – это я, Маргарита из России, Юлия и её сынок Михаэль из Германии. Втроём мы проделали большой путь внутри этой потрясающей страны, и наши маршруты расходились лишь пару раз.

I must say, this trip happened thanks to the FIFA World Cup in 2018, where we spent the summer together as a team of volunteers under the delightful sun of Sochi, the host city. This has become a starting point for positive changes in life for those of us that took part on the large international team. We all still communicate, share news, advise and many of us have already met each other in different countries.

Надо сказать, что это путешествие случилось благодаря Чемпионату мира по футболу 2018 года, где мы вместе провели лето в команде волонтёров под солнцем города- организатора Сочи. Наша большая интернациональная команда для всех нас стала некой отправной точкой положительных изменений в жизни. Мы все до сих пор общаемся, делимся новостями, советуемся, и многие из нас уже повстречались друг с другом в разных странах.

Winter vacation in Russia and Europe are long holidays and my friend Julia came up with a fantastic idea to spend it in Argentina where they simultaneously have summer! And as she has a lot of independent travel experience in different parts of the world, she was engaged in planning our trip. The best way to independently consider your route, is to read a lot of blogs and websites; foreign sites are the best if you want unconventional travel routes for Russians.

Зимние каникулы в России и Европе – долгие праздники, и моей подруге Юле пришла замечательная идея провести их в Аргентине, где у них тем временем лето! И так как у нее большой опыт само-стоятельных путешествий в разных уголках Земли, она занималась планом нашего путешествия. Для того, чтобы самостоятельно продумать свой маршрут, лучше действительно прочесть много блогов и сайтов и лучше иностранных, так как это не самый популярный маршрут путешествий для россиян.

Tickets from Moscow in the New Year period cost me 900 euros. The price, of course, depends on the season. But still, it is better to appreciate the beauty of the southern harsh regions of Argentina in the summer (Russia’s winter). The flight from Moscow with two transfers takes more than a day. In my case, due to the delayed flight, I spent a day in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and these days may well serve as the basis for a separate article!

Билеты из Москвы в новогодний период стоили мне 900 евро. Цена, конечно же, зависит от сезона. Но все таки, лучше оценить красоту южных суровых регионов Аргентины по достоинству удастся летом, то есть в нашу зиму. Перелёт из Москвы с двумя пересадками занимает больше суток. В моём случае, благодаря задержке рейса, я провела сутки в Сан-Паулу в Бразилии, и эти сутки могут вполне послужить основой для отдельной статьи!

Within the country we traveled on airplanes, intercity buses, public transport, taxis, and rented cars. Public transport and taxis are very inexpensive here, however Uber is available only in the capital. It should be noted that in Argentina there is no railway; it is replaced by buses. Intercity buses are very popular with tourists and I will tell about them in more detail.

Внутри страны мы передвигались на самолётах, междугородних автобусах, общественном транспорте, такси и арендованных автомобилях. Общественный транспорт и такси здесь очень недорогие, однако Uber доступен только в столице. Надо заметить, что в Аргентине нет железной дороги, её заменяют автобусы. Междугородние автобусы очень популярны у туристов, о них я расскажу поподробнее.

My two trips by bus took about 16 and 28 hours, respectively. I have never been a fan of such long bus trips. It is also worth mentioning that in Argentina, it’s easy to simply look at the mud or the mess in the buses, and take these trips for granted; I did. However, I was delighted to see fantastic landscapes opening through the bus windows! Very often the routes of such buses run through national parks, past large and beautiful lakes, through picturesque mountains and forests, and even along the ocean! From the window you can see wild llamas – guanacos, flocks of flamingos, herds of horses, fluffy sheep…

The famous route 40, which was on our way, crosses the whole country from north to south and leads to Ushuaia. Ushuaia, Fin del Mundo (end of the earth), Tierra del fuego (earth of the fire) are all names for the extreme southern point of the Earth. To the south of Ushaia is Antarctica itself!
In Argentina, the more you go to the south, the colder it becomes. Our journey began in the Iguazu jungle and ended in Ushuaia where there was an average of +10 degrees and a strong wind was blowing. The climate here is much harsher than the rest of the country, but this does not diminish the beauty of this region. Trekking and hiking in the national parks, traveling to the colonies of penguins, sea lions, the expedition to the Antarctic – that’s why tourists come to Ushuaia from all over the world! In the tourist season, there many people who visit, despite the fact that the prices here are much higher than for the rest of the country.

Traveling to Latin America is like traveling to another planet. Culture, lifestyle and nature are so similar, and yet so very different from what we are used to in Europe and Russia. People here seem to be more relaxed and satisfied with life, despite the poverty or crisis and poor natural conditions in some regions. It is customary here to smile and open up to people if you like them because they are more open with their emotions and feelings. I did not feel that people here struggle to survive and did not see gray faces. From the windows of cafes in the cities come sounds such lively music and the cities are painted in such bright colors! There are palm trees and cacti and tanned Argentinians all around. How could you not fall in love with this country?!?

And what really captivated me were the stars; every time you admire the night sky in a meadow near the house, or from a bus or a plane window, you see completely new constellations; such a wide milky way draped across such a deep black sky. It is a startling, bold reminder that you are on the other side of the planet!