Part 3: Back to Buenos Aires

I drove the next 1300 kilometers non-stop and was happy to arrive in Buenos Aires at precisely 4:30 a.m. The city was quiet, with no one in the streets. I could have not ask for more. Unloading everything and managing to put the kayak in the hall, nose down, I headed straight to bed. After a quick nap, I stepped out to do some errands. The car was parked right in front of the building and I had enough coins in the meters to last the afternoon… so I thought. When I came back, the car was gone. No way! Asking around, I found out that it had been towed because the meter ran out during the last 30 minutes. Beautiful! Here, since no one pays their tickets, there is no warning, no ticket at all. The minute the meter expires and you are not there, towing trucks are waiting, counting the seconds, and as soon the red marker appears, your wheels are gone. I will spare you the details of the adventure, only to say that the week was one I wish could be erased. Aside from the car being towed, I eventually returned it with not a single scratch, except that while driving on the dirt roads, a rock shot through the rear bumper (if we can call that a bumper… Nowadays, they are just big pieces of plastic that break from anything) and made a hole. The rental company had no choice but to change the entire thing–damage: $700US!

By now I’ve met with Vida Silvestre and Parques Nacionales. I will be meeting with the Senator tomorrow and have a meeting with the Minister of Ecology of the Province of Misiones sometime before the end of the month. My timing is great as apparently I might be following a team of biologists that plan to capture jaguars and tag them. If everything goes well, my departure date for the Ibera Esteros and the jungles of Iguazu will be in two weeks. I will keep you in the loop!