A 7am rise in Colonia Del Sacramento, an early start after a restless night; its hot, we're conscious of needing to catch that 8am bus, and I've a little sunburn on my legs that keeps waking me up. Rucksacks on and off to the bus station we go. Its a calm, fresh-ish morning, and we aren't damp from humidity yet. The bus rolls out of Colonia and 45 minutes later we jump out at Rosario in the middle of nowhere, much as I feared. Nothing to see either end of this highway. Fortunately we are pointed in the direction of a rickety bus that will take us to the centre of town where we can catch the connection to Fray Bentos. A three legged dog chases the bus, which wouldn't have been up to date in the 1970s.
Rosario is the sort of town that considers coffee to be a sophisticated luxury for city slickers. It's not entirely gaucho territory, but the little old people walking the streets all know each other, the speaker outside the pharmacy plays traditional tunes, and everyone goes to the bus ticket office to collect their parcels. The local football team's social club opens at 9am, and there are old men waiting outside for their early-morning whiskey. The bus office is straight from the 30s, and it empties down outside as we eat quiche for breakfast. Down the spindly streets comes the bus, and three hours later we arrive in Fray Bentos.
Of all our destinations on this trip, Fray Bentos has excited most people, and we have come here out of outrageous curiosity. It is a fair hefty detour for us, and the town really needs to have been worth it.
The plans now are simple: up to Fray Bentos, cross the border into Argentina to Gualeguaychú, stay overnight, then down to Buenos Aires for 4 days. Head south again to Mar Del Plata, spend a few days, then west to Bahía Blanca. From there... well, only Sarah knows what is planned for after that.
It ought to be that easy. However here we in Fray Bentos, and it turns out there is only one bus to Gualeguaychú, and it is at 8am. So we are stuck here until tomorrow.
Only one thing to do. Spend the day here and take a bus directly to Buenos Aires at 1am. Its crazy but it just might work. I dash up ten blocks to the main plaza in incredible humid conditions and manage to extract a further $3000 from my bank account to pay for the $880 tickets to the Argentina capital. I make it back with my heart pounding, my brow saturated, and my money in a damp bundle in my pocket. We get our tickets, we dump our bags in the office, and we are in desperate need of a shower.
Now to put in 12 hours in Fray Bentos. How would that go?
Fray Bentos bus terminal.
Fray Bentos small crap café with crap milaneses and cheap beer.
Perhaps this whole town has driven Sarah mad. Too many references to MEAT.
Main street in Fray Bentos.
We had justified our visit here, our ridiculous 7 hour detour, with the knowledge that Fray Bentos harbours a fabulous attraction, the Museum of the Industrial Revolution. We leap in a taxi and breeze the streets, down into Barrio Anglo, and get dumped at the door of a building that could easily have served as the set of a Quatermass movie.
Ah, nothing like a two headed calf.
A tribute to the Liebig company, who ran this town. A bit like a meaty version of Bourneville.
Fray Bentos is not just a big old meat museum. It also has a charming Ramblas and costanera for those who like walking up and down a riverside paradise.
Thats enough romantic walking around this town. We're sweltering, its ridiculously hot, there is no one around except for a few kids blazing up and down the roads on scooters whilst wearing as little as possible. We duck into the improbable 'Friends' cafe and douse ourselves with agua con gas.
Time passes, the sun drops, and about 6.30pm we make it back out to take some photos of the main plaza in the dying light.
An exact replica of the bandstand at the Crystal Palace in London.
I wasn't lying about the 'Friends' cafe.
Every town needs a Jose Artigas statue.
Every town needs a Don Quixote statue.
Back at the station we are blessed with WiFi, and I let our hostel in Gualeguaychú know we won't be coming. We also let the hostel we will be staying in in Buenos Aires know that we will be coming.
Where You Can Go From Fray Bentos (20/01/2014)
"The First Step Is Recognising That Drinking Meat Is A Problem"
Not much to do but eat a burger, hang around, enjoy the sunset and have my photo taken beside a giant FRAY BENTOS mural.
Ah, ice cream. I have eaten more on this holiday than the whole rest of the past decade. It is mighty good down here.
Finally 1am rolls round after a couple of hours of attempting to doze in a very clammy bus station. No bus. Its another 45 minutes is sitting on the platform before it rolls into town, and we take our seats at the very back of the top of the bus. We head out of town past the enormous paper mill that has stirred up so much conflict between Argentina and Uruguay, and again I think of Quatermass.
The border is more straightforward than previous ones, with a single officer stamping us out of Uruguay and into Argentina. The bus is searched and all luggage goes through an x-ray scanner (for those interested). It doesn't take long. Back on the bus and, in the blink of an eye, we arrive in Buenos Aires Retiro bus station. It makes Heathrow look like Carrickfergus train station. Nothing to do but take a taxi to Hostel Estacion Buenos Aires, remember that we're an hour less again, fall out with the grumpy men in our room, and barely get any sleep in the blazing night heat of the Argentine capital.
No comments:
Post a Comment