El Che

Girls in front of the iconic photo of Che Guevara, Rodeo, San Juan Province

With Fidel Castro calling it a day recently there has been a lot of reports on the news concentrating on the history of the Cuban revolution. Che Guevara, being one of the key figures at Castro’s side during the first years of the revolution, received a lot of coverage here in Argentina as well.

El Che is nowadays known mostly for the famous photo taken in 1960 by Cuban photojournalist Alberto Korda. It must be the most published photo of all times, a symbol of revolution and rebellion and can be found on car stickers, t-shirts, tattoos, posters, etc.

I guess the girls, like many others, actually don’t know who the guy on this omnipresent photo actually is.

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Salt

A mountain of salt, Salinas del Diamante, Mendoza Province

Need salt for the soup? There’s enough here.

We got our 4×4 stuck in the mud while trying to approach a salt lake near Cabo Blanco at the beginning of our journey through Argentina (luckily the stationed army officer at a nearby lighthouse could radio in help for us, but that’s another story). 

We learned our lesson well and stayed clear of all subsequent salt lakes we came across until this one, the Salinas del Diamante near El Nihuil. As salt is still being exploited here there’s an access road free of mud.

Friendly Nelson (the guy in the photo) gave us permission to walk around the premises and to take photos while he was filling one of the waiting trucks.

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The look!

Boy at the Expo Rural 2008, Junín de los Andes, Neuquén Province

Upon leaving the Lanín National Park we came across an agricultural fair in Junín de los Andes. We stopped in the hope to get a choripan, a very popular sandwich of grilled chorizo sausage and pan (bread) and to mingle among the locals.

We got the choripan which was delicious and were surprised to see that most of the locals had dressed up for the occasion and were wearing traditional gaucho clothing.

Some of the locals seemed to be even more surprised to see gringos amongst them!

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The Gaucho

A gaucho in the sky, Patagonia, Región XII (Magallanes y Antártida Chilena)

Leaving Torres del Paine National Park and heading to the nearby border to return to Argentina we came across this gaucho crossing the road in front of us herding 20 or so horses.

When he saw us taking photos through the windshield he got his horse to perform a pirouette, gave us a wave and a big smile and rode off into the Patagonian endlessness.

That’s gaucho happiness.

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