WE LEFT Posada La Bonita on Saturday 13th February. Our plan was to make it to Corrientes for the last night of it’s much-hyped carnival. This meant a change of bus at Posadas. To give us some extra leeway, we opted for Don Miguel’s 220 peso transfer to San Vicente for the 1230 M. Horianski bus to Posadas(fare 36 pesos). This arrived in Posadas 45 mins earlier than the 1200 bus from El Soberbio, and we made it in time for the 1615 Flechabus service which got us into Corrientes at 2045(fare 44 pesos). For full listing of bus services between provinces in Argentina, this site is quite good.
The bus station’s a few miles from the centre of Corrientes. A sign above the taxi rank gives you some idea of the taxi fares to key destinations in town. The Gran Hotel Turismo was given as 12 pesos, but it actually cost 16.
Corrientes is the self-proclaimed national capital of carnival. It all takes place at the “Corsodromo”, an avenue of grandstands just south of the bridge over the Parana, about a 20-minute stroll along the river from our hotel. It was 40 pesos general admission, and for that you get several hours of samba bands and surgically-enhanced exotic dancers parading by (from 2230 until the early hours). You’ll also get soaked in spray foam, a carnival prerequisite. Very colourful experience for a pair of stiff-upper lip Brits such as ourselves. I even felt my leg start to twitch at one point…
The riverfront is lined with kiosks selling cold drinks and fast food(a litre bottle of beer costs about 12 pesos). Meanwhile, families set up folding chairs and tables on the grass verges to host picnics while dozens of car stereo systems blast out everything from merengue to hip-hop. Handicraft vendors set up stalls selling cute wooden bead rosaries for about 10 pesos. Across the road are a couple of bars and average parrillas. Plus a truly hideous, modern-built casino.
We spent 48 hours in Corrientes, which was probably 24 hours too long, not helped by the fact it was the hottest place on earth that weekend (35 degrees according to the CNN worldwide weather report), overcast and humid, plus everything was shut on the Sunday. Things improved a bit on the Monday. I found a little shop on 9 Julio – I think – which sold Argentine cigars(both filler tobacco and the leaf. These are usually exported, I didn’t find them anywhere else in the country - a delicious, slow-burning smoke for 12 pesos) And The Wife found a designer shoe shop, Pepe Cantero, at the corner of Quintana and San Juan, just off the riverfront, where one of the friendliest Argentines we met, the lovely Jorgelina, gave us a generous discount for paying in cash for a pair of leather sandals. (The main, pedestrianised shopping street is Florida which is great for reasonably priced clothes and shoe shops)
By unintentionally staying on the 109 bus until the end of the line – we’d caught it in the opposite direction to the bus station to buy our bus tickets for our departure – we discovered a couple of “resorts” offering beaches, swimming and restaurants, with names like Playa Paraiso. Unfortunately we couldn’t use them as the mother of all thunderstorms erupted, but apparently you pay about 10 pesos admission.
The bus station’s a few miles from the centre of Corrientes. A sign above the taxi rank gives you some idea of the taxi fares to key destinations in town. The Gran Hotel Turismo was given as 12 pesos, but it actually cost 16.
Corrientes is the self-proclaimed national capital of carnival. It all takes place at the “Corsodromo”, an avenue of grandstands just south of the bridge over the Parana, about a 20-minute stroll along the river from our hotel. It was 40 pesos general admission, and for that you get several hours of samba bands and surgically-enhanced exotic dancers parading by (from 2230 until the early hours). You’ll also get soaked in spray foam, a carnival prerequisite. Very colourful experience for a pair of stiff-upper lip Brits such as ourselves. I even felt my leg start to twitch at one point…
The riverfront is lined with kiosks selling cold drinks and fast food(a litre bottle of beer costs about 12 pesos). Meanwhile, families set up folding chairs and tables on the grass verges to host picnics while dozens of car stereo systems blast out everything from merengue to hip-hop. Handicraft vendors set up stalls selling cute wooden bead rosaries for about 10 pesos. Across the road are a couple of bars and average parrillas. Plus a truly hideous, modern-built casino.
We spent 48 hours in Corrientes, which was probably 24 hours too long, not helped by the fact it was the hottest place on earth that weekend (35 degrees according to the CNN worldwide weather report), overcast and humid, plus everything was shut on the Sunday. Things improved a bit on the Monday. I found a little shop on 9 Julio – I think – which sold Argentine cigars(both filler tobacco and the leaf. These are usually exported, I didn’t find them anywhere else in the country - a delicious, slow-burning smoke for 12 pesos) And The Wife found a designer shoe shop, Pepe Cantero, at the corner of Quintana and San Juan, just off the riverfront, where one of the friendliest Argentines we met, the lovely Jorgelina, gave us a generous discount for paying in cash for a pair of leather sandals. (The main, pedestrianised shopping street is Florida which is great for reasonably priced clothes and shoe shops)
By unintentionally staying on the 109 bus until the end of the line – we’d caught it in the opposite direction to the bus station to buy our bus tickets for our departure – we discovered a couple of “resorts” offering beaches, swimming and restaurants, with names like Playa Paraiso. Unfortunately we couldn’t use them as the mother of all thunderstorms erupted, but apparently you pay about 10 pesos admission.
No comments:
Post a Comment