aka ¨The old Patagonia Express¨. Butch Cassidy is said to have ridden it and author Paul Theroux did ride it. Today, you can add my name to that list.
What the Express once was, is not what it is today. Today, and at this time of year, the Express serves tourists and brings them on a 20 km ride from Esquel to a ¨station¨, Nahuel Pan, where you can visit a very small museum dedicated to the indigenous people of the region and buy some handicrafts from some of those same peoples.
I took the train just for the ride through a bit of Patagonia. A bit of history can be yours for only 50 Pesos (+/- $17). I´d give the ride a thumbs up.
I arrived in Esquel from El Bolson, a town about 180 km north. Most guidebooks describe El Bolson as a hippie town. Most guidebooks are correct. I arrived in town on Saturday afternoon and the central park was filled with more dreadlocks than you´d seen in Jamaica. I think the vending crowd was a mixture of locals and traveling folk - those who live out of their backpacks while selling necklaces and the like. When among that crowd, it helps to have multiple piercings, tattoos, and very dirty feet. I met only the last qualification. And since i can´t join a drum circle, i do not quite fit in that crowd.
The park made for good people watching.
I was able to find my crowd on Saturday night - salsa dancing. I went to the pub at midnight only to be told that the band would not come on until 2:00 am. A Coke kept me going until the band started and I was dancing until much too late in the night - or very early in the morning, whichever the case may be.
bjm 2-19-08
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment