Hier soir nous avons diné « en ville » à Villa Uníon. Nous allons au restaurant à 9 h et presque toutes les tables sont occupées. Nous mangeons du chivito du chevreau. Le serveur, qui n’est pas jeune, nous apporte des entrées, des empanadas et de la salade, puis le chevreau. Bon et copieux. Et après nous allons prendre un café à un internet café et finir le blog.
Ce matin, lever à 6 h30. La dame de la maison nous prépare le petit-déjeuner. A 7 h30, nous sommes devant le bureau du tourisme où nous avons rendez-vous avec Chloé, la jeune Française. Elle conduit un minibus avec un groupe et nous la suivons en voiture. Nous roulons une heure et entrons dans le Parc National de Talampaya. Ce parc est classé Patrimoine de l’Humanité parce que c’est le seul endroit au mond où on peut voir les sept couches du Triassic. C’est Chloé qui nous apprend cela. Il y a beaucoup de monde, des voitures et des bus. La grande majorité des gens prennent un tour en bus. Nous ne sommes que huit (plus Chloé) à aller à pied. Nous repartons encore en cortège, le minibus devant et nous derrière, pour faire 13 km dans le parc. Nous pouvons passer parce que nous sommes avec un guide. Aucune visite privée n’est permise. Puis Chloé se présente, nous nous présentons et en route. Le paysage est à couper le souffle. Cañon, parois abruptes, cheminées de fée, rivière asséchée, arbres centenaires, fleurs au couleur vives, condors, aigles, perroquets, guanacos, source inattendue … Je ne peux pas transmettre le sentiment d’admiration que j’ai ressenti. Chloé est une guide à la fois très savante, très engagées et très sympathique. Le groupe, après une période de « dégèlement » devient plus bavard et plus uni. Nous sommes quatre couples, deux jeunes et deux plus âgés. Nous sommes, bien sûr, les doyens. Nous marchons d’abord dans le lit d’une rivière asséchée. C’est difficile à croire mais de temps en temps, après les pluies, ce lit de plusieurs centaines de mètres de large se transforme en torrent. Puis nous escaladons une paroi (!) … de quelques mètres et suivons un chemin encaissé dans le cañon. Nous nous sentons petits devant le « contrebassista », une formation rocheuse où l’on peut deviner la forme d’un contrebassiste. Les falaises, parois, fissures, érosion, vent et eau, dessinent les formes les plus étranges, le tout à une échelle qui nous dépasse. A un moment cinq condors nous survolent. Nous faisons un circuit qui dure trois heures. Il fait chaud mais c’est très supportable, un léger vent nous rafraichit. A l’ombre il fait frais. Des conditions parfaites. Un tour grandiose, intéressant et sympathique. A la fin je donne l’adresse du blog à Chloé. A ver …
Nous reprenons la route vers Córdoba. Droite, droite, droite. Si la route tourne de 5 °, un panneau nous prévient et des flèches sont peintes sur la route. Nous nous arrêtons pour prendre une photo d’un grand cactus et mangeons un petit lunch. Et route re-droite, droite, droite. Le paysage est sec, petite végétation et quelques arbres où il y a un petit peu d’eau.
Dans l’après-midi, nous sommes arrêtés pour un « contrôle » de police. Le policier n’y va pas par quatre chemins. Il nous demande carrément si on veut participer aux bonne œuvres de la police. Hum, hum …
Mais, après être entrés dans la province de Córdoba, nouveau vrai contrôle, pas question de bonnes œuvres cette fois.
Om remarque que les automobilistes respectent beaucoup plus les limites de vitesse ici. Peut-être parce que les policiers sont plus sévères? Nous roulons, roulons. A un moment on voit des nids de perroquets sur tous les poteaux électriques. Heureusement c'est une ligne sans courant sinon ils seraient électrocutés, leurs nids sont grands et touchent plusieurs fils. Quand Jens conduit, j’écris le blog! Nous arrivons près de Córdoba. On se débrouille comme des chefs aurait dit mon Père. On prend la direction « Centro por via Colón ». L’autoroute se termine, on suit le flot, on ne sait pas trop bien où on est et on se retrouve sur une grande rue. On voit le nom: Calle Colón qui nous mène jusqu’au centre.A un feu rouge, un gamin lave le parbrise. Je lui demande si le centre est encore loin. Il me répond: " No, madre, 5-6 cuadras" (Non, mère, 5-6 pâtes de maison). Encore heureux qu'il ne m'ait pas appelée grand'mère. On fait donc encore un petit bout et on stationne la voiture, on fait 50 m à pied et on trouve un hôtel. Le hall est très chic et j’ai peur que ce ne soit très cher. Mais Jens, qui connait la vie, me dit: « Souvent la réception fait chic mais les chambres le sont beaucoup moins ». Le monsieur à la réception nous propose d'abord une chambre à 280 pesos. Puis il ajoute qu'il en a une autre à 210 pesos, mais la télé est petite et il n'y a pas de baignoire. Comme on ne regarde pas la télé et qu'on ne prend pas de bain, on la prend. Peut-être a-t-il pensé qu'on n'avait pas l'air si riche. Quant à la réflexion de Jens, c’est exactement le cas. La chambre est petite et a vu des jours meilleurs. Mais pour deux nuits, cela nous suffit bien. Il est 9 h quand nous nous installons.
Allons manger une pizza et j’essaye de finir le blog mais il est trop tard et je suis trop fatiguée. Désolée, mais vous aurez la suite demain.
Yesterday evening we had dinner "in town" in Villa Union. We went to a restaurant at 9 pm and almost all the tables were occupied. We ate chivito (baby goat). The server, which was not young, came with starters, empanadas and salad, then the meat. Good and plentiful. And then we had a coffee at an internet cafe and I worked on the blog.
This morning, we got up at 6.30am. The lady of the house prepares breakfast. A 7 h30, we are in front of the tourism office where we meet Chloe, the French girl. She drives a minivan with a group and we follow it by car. We drive an hour and enter the National Park Talampaya. This Park is classified a World Heritage because it is the only place in the world where one can see the seven layers of the Triassic period. Chloe told us that. There are many people, cars and buses. The vast majority of people take a bus tour in the Park. We are only eight (and Chloe) to go on foot. We leave again in procession, in front of the minibus and us behind, to drive13 km in the park. We can drive our own car because we are with a guide. No private visit is allowed, neither on foot or by car. Chloe then makes a short presentation, and we go. The scenery is breathtaking. Canyon, steep walls, needles, dry river, trees, flowers in vivid color, condors, eagles, parrots, guanacos, unexpected source ... I can not convey the sense of awe that I felt. Chloe is a good guide clever, committed and very friendly. The group, after a period of "thaw" becomes more talkative and more united. We are four couples, two young ones and two older ones. We are, of course, the oldest. We walk first in a dry riverbed. It's hard to believe it but from time to time, after the rains, this bed several hundred feet wide turns into a torrent. Then we climb a wall (!) ... a few meters and follow a path in the canyon. We are humbled before the "cello player", a rock formation where you can guess the shape of a celleo player. The cliffs, walls, cracks, erosion, wind and water, made the strangest forms, all at a scale that is beyond us. At one time five condors fly overhead. We make a circuit that takes three hours. It is hot but bearable, a light breeze cools us. In the shade it is cool. Perfect conditions. A special tour, interesting and sympathetic. In the end I gave the blog address to Chloe. A ver ...
Back on the road to Córdoba. Straight, straight, and straight. If the road turns 5 °, a sign warns us and arrows are painted on the road. We stop to take a picture of a large cactus and eat a little lunch. Road and re-straight, straight again. The landscape is dry, little vegetation and some trees where there is a little water. And nobody.
In the afternoon, we are stopped for a police "control". The policeman is quite direct. He asked us bluntly if we would like to support the welfare work of the police. Hum, hum ...
But after entering the province of Córdoba, new real control, not about welfare works this time.
One notes that motorists respect speed limits much more here. Maybe because the police is more honest and strict here? We drive and drive. At one moment we see parrots nests on every light pole. Luckely there is no stream in this line. Their nests are big and touch several wires.When Jens is driving, I can write on the blog! We arrive near Córdoba. We manage it very well, by luck. We take the direction "Centro por via Colón”. The highway ends, we follow the flow, we are not too sure where we are and we find ourselves on a main road. We see the name: Calle Colón which brings us to the center. At a red light, a kid washes the front window. I ask him if it is far to down down. He answers me: "No, madre, 5-6 cuadras". (No, mother, 5-6 bloks). Good that he didn' call me grand mother. We park the car, walk 50 m and found a hotel. The lobby is very chic and I'm afraid it will be very expensive. But Jens, who knows life, says: "Often the reception is chic but the rooms are much less so." And that's exactly the case. First the man tells us he has a room at 280 pesos. But then he said that he had another one at 210 pesos, but the TV is small and there is on ly a shower, no bahtub. We don't watch TV and we don't take bath so that is OK. Maybe he thought that we didn't look so rich. The room is small and has seen better days. But for two nights it is good enough. It is 9.30pm when we register us in the hotel.
We go and eat pizza and I try to finish the blog. But it is too late and I am too tired. Sorry, folk, you have to wait to tomorrow.
This morning, we got up at 6.30am. The lady of the house prepares breakfast. A 7 h30, we are in front of the tourism office where we meet Chloe, the French girl. She drives a minivan with a group and we follow it by car. We drive an hour and enter the National Park Talampaya. This Park is classified a World Heritage because it is the only place in the world where one can see the seven layers of the Triassic period. Chloe told us that. There are many people, cars and buses. The vast majority of people take a bus tour in the Park. We are only eight (and Chloe) to go on foot. We leave again in procession, in front of the minibus and us behind, to drive13 km in the park. We can drive our own car because we are with a guide. No private visit is allowed, neither on foot or by car. Chloe then makes a short presentation, and we go. The scenery is breathtaking. Canyon, steep walls, needles, dry river, trees, flowers in vivid color, condors, eagles, parrots, guanacos, unexpected source ... I can not convey the sense of awe that I felt. Chloe is a good guide clever, committed and very friendly. The group, after a period of "thaw" becomes more talkative and more united. We are four couples, two young ones and two older ones. We are, of course, the oldest. We walk first in a dry riverbed. It's hard to believe it but from time to time, after the rains, this bed several hundred feet wide turns into a torrent. Then we climb a wall (!) ... a few meters and follow a path in the canyon. We are humbled before the "cello player", a rock formation where you can guess the shape of a celleo player. The cliffs, walls, cracks, erosion, wind and water, made the strangest forms, all at a scale that is beyond us. At one time five condors fly overhead. We make a circuit that takes three hours. It is hot but bearable, a light breeze cools us. In the shade it is cool. Perfect conditions. A special tour, interesting and sympathetic. In the end I gave the blog address to Chloe. A ver ...
Back on the road to Córdoba. Straight, straight, and straight. If the road turns 5 °, a sign warns us and arrows are painted on the road. We stop to take a picture of a large cactus and eat a little lunch. Road and re-straight, straight again. The landscape is dry, little vegetation and some trees where there is a little water. And nobody.
In the afternoon, we are stopped for a police "control". The policeman is quite direct. He asked us bluntly if we would like to support the welfare work of the police. Hum, hum ...
But after entering the province of Córdoba, new real control, not about welfare works this time.
One notes that motorists respect speed limits much more here. Maybe because the police is more honest and strict here? We drive and drive. At one moment we see parrots nests on every light pole. Luckely there is no stream in this line. Their nests are big and touch several wires.When Jens is driving, I can write on the blog! We arrive near Córdoba. We manage it very well, by luck. We take the direction "Centro por via Colón”. The highway ends, we follow the flow, we are not too sure where we are and we find ourselves on a main road. We see the name: Calle Colón which brings us to the center. At a red light, a kid washes the front window. I ask him if it is far to down down. He answers me: "No, madre, 5-6 cuadras". (No, mother, 5-6 bloks). Good that he didn' call me grand mother. We park the car, walk 50 m and found a hotel. The lobby is very chic and I'm afraid it will be very expensive. But Jens, who knows life, says: "Often the reception is chic but the rooms are much less so." And that's exactly the case. First the man tells us he has a room at 280 pesos. But then he said that he had another one at 210 pesos, but the TV is small and there is on ly a shower, no bahtub. We don't watch TV and we don't take bath so that is OK. Maybe he thought that we didn't look so rich. The room is small and has seen better days. But for two nights it is good enough. It is 9.30pm when we register us in the hotel.
We go and eat pizza and I try to finish the blog. But it is too late and I am too tired. Sorry, folk, you have to wait to tomorrow.
L'églide de Villa Unión à 7h30 du matin
Villa Unión church at 7.30 am
Nous suivons Chloé dans le lit de la rivière
We follow Chloé in the riverbed
Un arbre appelé Algarrobo, de 400 ans, qui pousse dans le lit de la rivière
A 400 years old tree, an Algarrobo, in the riverbed
Dans le creux: Le contrebassiste
In the pass, the cello player
Une falaise
A wall
Jens, Chloé
Dans le canyon
In the canyon
Chilca
L'unique source à des km à la ronde
The only water point in kms
Elle tombera un jour
It will fall one day
Le groupe, Chloé à droite
The group, Chloé at right
Un cactus de plusieurs mètres
A giant cactus
Un nid de perroquets
A parrots nest
Corbeille
Basket
Très belles photos!! Domage pour le Chili, mais le tour du parc fait bien aussi!
SvarSlett