justpassingthroughtravel: The Provinces-The Outer, Outer, Fringe of Buenos Aires, Argentina

For lack of a better title to encompass several entries about the Province of Buenos Aires I shall devote some time to a rural, vibrant and rich environment of small towns with upscale restaurants of quality, downhome feeling of small townness and diversity. These towns like Azul, with a population of 63,000... has a vibrant center with homemade pasta places, many bakeries, restaurants, and few supermarkets. People still frequent their speciality shops for cuts of beef and lamb. People connect.

I kept looking at this guy and his younger friend at the Cattle selling/stockyard. Blue eyed, Basque perhaps but clearly a representative of the diverse European backgrounds of the immigrant populations.

My host who invited me along.Following an hours drive to Ayacucho where we dined (lunch) lavishly with a group of cattle breeders, we proceeded to the stockyards and the awaiting cattle whose fate would be sealed as the highest bidder settled the issue.

My host is cobbling together different interests, he's following his father in the buying and selling of cattle right now. I asked him what his long terms goals were and he looked at me as if I was from Mars. "Long term goals?" We work a variety of jobs and go with what seems to offer the best opportunity". Career goals? He just laughed.

This is immigrant populations with lots of Welsh, Italian,Basque,Slovak and other groups. Towns like this exist in the rural periphery of Buenos Aires. I should say we're 3 hours away and definitely rural and not relating to Buenos Aires other than all traffic and commerce heads that way. Can't deny it.

The horse drawn carriage with the barker identifying different groups of cattle for sale. All done with a nod, a wink, a raised eyebrow.

I went to one town for a cattle sale. It just happened to be full of Basque descendants. They know family lines and history and who is related to whom whether you are from there or not. People are open and friendly and enquire about my trip. They invite me to dinner. They have long lost relatives who left Europe in 1900 and went to America. They feel a connection. We're all immigrants. Families went in different directions. Some went to North America and some to South America. Where else can you still find the largest Jewish community in the Diaspora but Buenos Aires?
Azul was built in 1832 at the direction of Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas as an outpost or fort, on the fringe 'of civilization' where the government attempted to control more and more land that previously was inhabited by wandering indian groups. Argentina did an even better job or subjugating the indigenous populations than we did in the USA.. Hardly any exist today. They 'honor' the indigenous populations by naming streets after them. Sound firmiliar?
Now it is all agriculture and cattle and the people are doing quite well by all standards.Some pictures of cattle stock yards will attest to the continuing investment in cattle, the struggle around planting Soybeans and the ongoing balance of a faltering economy.

Wait a minute. I'm getting way ahead of myself. From Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego up to here is about 3000 kms. All that distance is Pampa, wide open rock strewn territory that is governed in some areas by rabbits, foxes, and sheep and oh yes, oil. Some motorcyclists say it is a boring trip up the coast toward Buenos Aires. Used to rocky,crushed gravel roads which can be difficult in the best of conditions in the south, now it is paved, it is long, it is straight, it is still plagued by strong cross wind which add to the challenge or threat, however you frame it. The coastal dry sand dunes main attraction is the sealife, ranging, depending on the season,to Sea Lions, Penguins, and even touch calving whales, breeding grounds that allow close contact. That is the coast. As we move further north after several days of travel the landscape changes and what was once open rock strewn landscape becomes a little hillier, a little greener, some diversity is noted. Streams flow, grass grows, livestock is seen along the road munching away. All of a sudden you are in a different environment. The same, yes but different. Richer, visually and it excites you as you enter another zone.
I'm heading in this direction because there is a supposed 'outpost' of motorcycle enthusiasts who either live here or gather here and I want to find out what they are about.They live in Azul (Blue)
I'm also here, ahead of schedule, because I bought my 'cuchillos criollos, gaucho knives, hand made steel with traditional handles of deer horn and armadillo tails,etc.in another town close by and here I am.
The motorcycle group consists of perhaps 10-15 middle aged men with motorcycles who like to either talk about a trip they plan or a trip they made. Sound familar? All of this is equally spiced by long winded discourses on politics,etc. of which the Argentines cannot be outdone. Where else can a group of men spend a long evening talking tell 2 AM around a fire with beef and wine? I did this 3 times in a week. The only difference is that I didn't have to get up and go to work the next day. That didn't seem to stop them from connection which is VERY,VERY big here.They are affectionate, touch each other when talking, kiss on the cheek when meeting. Something missing in my life.
So here are some photos of the meals that a group of men put together and the 'clubhouse' filled with momentos and signs of world motorcycle travelers over they years who have passed this way coming or going to Buenos Aires ( 3 hours and a world away).

my camping spot on Peninsula Valdez. The next site was this lovely 130 year old mansion in Azul. Built by a Brit with lots of money, it has many, many rooms, a huge pool and an assortment of cattle, horses, llamas and other critters on 120 acres. Small by comparison.