Vacation? After having worked 14 days and only having finished 1 of 8 cruises as job I already felt like it! Chile was where I planned to go to, that´s what I already thought about at home and I had read about it and collected phone numbers via friends.
But there were 100 more days of work to come, without a day off in between, before I could go on vacation.
After four weeks, backpacking was no option anymore. No way! I had had my fill of daily new adventures! I was seeking tranquillity and looking forward to not having to wear a watch and not moving about all day long. I thus opted for staying on the ship, quietly, on its passage from Ushuaia to Gran Canaria at the end of the season. With no passengers on board, that would translate into plenty of sleeping, reading and sunbathing on deck.
But on second thought, this did not seem quite so ideal either. I simply could not get used to the idea of looking out onto the wide ocean, into the sun and heat of the equator, longing to jump in but being unable to do so. I had my heart set on going not only to the sea but INTO it as well. I therefore headed to the beach, to a small coastal village in Argentina. Reading the Lonely Planet guide had led me to choose Villa Gesell: it promised to be the perfect summer resort, especially for my needs.
A few Argentinian acquaintances gave my choice their seal of approval. And so my vacation started. It began in Ushuaia, as I disembarked after four months of work on a Norwegian cruise liner, which had made eight 2-week trips to Antarctica and into the Chilean fjords.
I was shown the peaceful and beautiful Cabo San Pablo with its shipwreck M/S Desdemona, once built by the shipowning company A. Kirsten (my great grandfather’s) majestically positioned in the bay.
My vacation proceeded to Buenos Aires, where I dropped my Antarctica equipment and went to the bus station with summer and proceeded to the bus stop, with light summer baggage to go directly to Villa Gesell by luxury bus (something we don´t have in Germany).
Surprising to me the landscape along the route was wonderfully green, no dry land despite the high temperatures. And the heat surprised me, after 4 months of “summer” in Southern parts of the country. Que calor, around 30°C. Luckily it wasn´t 40°C anymore (that is what I will be able to test in my upcoming vacation in Gesell this winter/summer).
One of my first encounters I will never forget: the temperatures really made me suffer and my “light” luggage turned out to be heavier and heavier, while I stupidly tried to walk from the bus terminal to the other end of the village. As I stopped at a bus stop I was absolutely exhausted and when the bus arrived I could hardly stand up again. Beside me a girl of approx. 10 years looked up and friendly asked me, whether she could help me to get my bag into the bus. Such thing does not happen in Germany!
I have extensively travelled around the world, but nowhere else ALL people I met were that friendly as in Argentina. Because of that, and to see more of the country, my next vacation will again lead me to Argentina and hopefully also to Villa Gesell, for New Year´s.
About 2 weeks I spent there in March 2003 and after the first big shock about the many people around – it seemed to me like that, after 4 months in silence and surrounded by little people – I discovered one by one the corners of the village and met new people every day.
For surf waves I waited without success, but I made long walks along the beach, went to the lighthouse, made bike trips to the cemetery (wonderful pittoresque street with silence) and went by bus to villages around, to happily return to Villa Gesell at night, where I stayed at the Residencia Viya, my first and very good choice out of my guide book.
I started to get interested in the foundation of the village, bought and read books about and visited the Centro Cultural at several interesting events. The history of Carlos Gesell is fascinating and to meet his son (who speaks better high-German than I do), granddaughter and great-granddaughter was also fascinating. The documents left behind from the foundation period, the inventions, all of that I find extremely interesting and I wish, the Argentine vacationers show still more interest to it in future times.
For two days the weather changed and also brought a fresh breeze. First it rained nearly 24 hours without being able to leave the house. Then storm came up and I spent much time at the sea because it looked to fantastic, the colours were beautiful, the power of the sea just fascinating.
I am looking forward to being back again and see all and everyone. And to be called “La Espanola” (that´s where I learnt Spanish), when buying my “platano” instead of a “banana” in the shop I used to buy it.
