We woke up to a new day in San Ignacio. This time we decided to visit, discover, and tour the tourist spots. The plan was to visit the Horacio Quiroga House-Museum, Miguel Nadasdy Museum, Jesuit-Guaraní Ruins, Jesuit-Guaraní Interpretation Center, and the Light and Sound Show. We got up at around 9 in the morning, had breakfast at our lodging, and by 10:30 AM we were already on the move through the streets. We decided to do the entire tour on foot. Leave a space. Photo 66 football sign We set off from the lodging, three blocks down Pellegrini Street until reaching the intersection with San Martín. There we turned left, three more blocks, until Sargento Cabral Avenue. Along San Martín, before reaching the intersection with Alcorta, we passed by a medical center, apparently private, but I am not sure. At the intersection of San Martín and Urquiza streets, we saw a warning sign that I had never seen before. It showed the figure of a person playing with a ball. I thought it might be a mistake and that black dot was just there; then I thought they might have painted it on purpose, adding it to the figure, but up close it was clearly made that way. Well, there was no school or sports club nearby. What was the reason for that sign? Children and youngsters playing ball in the street? It could be; in the neighborhoods of small towns that is very common. The truth is that since it was a two-way street, there was some vehicle traffic, and the few cars that passed did so at a high speed for what the place was. Anyway, there was that sign. Leave a space. Photo 67 gendarmerie We walked one more block and reached the intersection of San Martín with Sargento Cabral Avenue. That is where San Martín Street ends—or rather, where it begins, since its numbering starts from there. It is the National Gendarmerie Squadron 11. The entrance features an access arch made of red bricks, green borders, two black lanterns, and the national flag. The rest of the front consists of a short masonry fence, white and red, running from end to end. The area occupied by the gendarmerie is extensive, and in many web portals, it serves as a landmark for orientation when touring the city. It appears marked on every map and tour route. From here, there were 500 meters left to walk to reach our destination. This day was very hot; it was necessary to go with a cap, sunglasses, light clothing, comfortable footwear, insect repellent, and if possible, sunscreen. Leave a space. Photo 68 gate with bell Two blocks further and we reached the intersection of Sargento Cabral Avenue and Quiroga Avenue. Here I took a picture of that blue gate of the corner house, because of the bell it has as a doorbell. Someone arrives and rings the bell hanging there at the entrance. From there we turned left. There was practically no one on foot, except for two women who were coming from a walk in sportswear and holding a water bottle. And a few cars heading towards the river, where the resort and campsite are located. Three blocks more and we arrived, but they are three lonely blocks, nothing on one side and nothing on the other, a gravel road with many medium-sized stones. Many, many mosquitoes. I made a separate review of that visit. Horacio Quiroga House-Museum.http://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com.ar/2015/02/museo-casa-quiroga.html Leave a space. Photo 69 plastic tree After visiting that museum, we headed towards the Jesuit Ruins. We took the way back, and this time we returned via Lavalle Street, eight blocks until reaching the intersection with Sarmiento Avenue. From there we went down one block to San Martín and Sarmiento. And we decided to go into a pharmacy to buy some repellent. Extremely expensive. It seemed like a luxury item. Compared to other products and prices elsewhere, repellent there seemed to be a scarce and essential item; I don't know, the fact is they sell it very expensive. We crossed Sarmiento Avenue, continuing along San Martín towards the Ruins. A few meters away, the tree in the photograph, made entirely of plastic bottles, was apparently made for the holidays and stayed there; they enclosed a natural tree with plastic bottles creating what you can see in the image. What a notion. Leave a space. Photo 70 deliberative council From here, the walk to the Ruins is no more than five blocks. Along San Martín Street, two blocks further—ten blocks from the Gendarmerie—we reached the intersection with Bartolomé Mitre Street. Right there on the corner is the Honorable Deliberative Council. I don't know if it currently operates there or elsewhere. The building is an old house with an exposed brick facade of a dull red color. It has a flagpole and the name "Honorable Concejo Deliberante" painted on it. An old, worn, double-leaf wooden door, also in dull red, with glass at the top. Leave a space. Photo 71 police station One block further, at the intersection of San Martín Street and Gme Medina Street, is the local police station. It has the year 1937 engraved on its front and also features some flower beds with a variety of plants—some with thorns—a palm tree, a tree, and other flowering plants. One block to the right and we were already at the Ruins. However, you have to walk about four more blocks to reach the entrance sector. Along the way, we passed by an orchidarium; for all those people dedicated to orchid cultivation, the region's characteristics favor the growth of many species of this plant. We could also see one or two nurseries. Leave a space. Photo 72 construction Right there before arriving, you can see what's in the photograph, some half-finished buildings, looking like small shops, possibly to make a fair square, or maybe not—I don't know, nor did we see any sign. In the center is what appears to be a flower bed, a fountain, or something still unfinished; that entire area is fenced off. In front and one or two blocks around the Ruins, there are one or two hotels and an entire area with restaurants.
I made a separate review of that visit. Jesuit Ruins in San Ignacio Miní.http://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com.ar/2015/02/ruinas-jesuiticas.html Jesuit-Guaraní Interpretation and Recreation Center.http://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com.ar/2015/02/centro-de-interpretacion-y-recreacion.html
Along the way when we were arriving at the Ruins, we passed by the Handicrafts Fair—to which we would return upon leaving the Ruins and later at night as well—and we ran into a group of indigenous people who were sitting on the sidewalk and offering their handcrafted products. The exact same products are sold by the fair vendors. And it is the fair vendors who offer them "as handcrafted products made by the local indigenous people." The fact is that as we passed by we looked at the handicrafts and agreed that on our way back we would buy some. But it turned out that on the way back, the indigenous people were no longer there. The main idea was to buy the products directly from the indigenous people; if they are the ones who make them and can sell them directly as street vendors, much better for them and for the buyer. But they were no longer there, and when we looked at the prices of the same products at the Handicrafts Fair, the ones offered by the indigenous people turned out to be more expensive. I can think of a few reasons: one could be that these indigenous people consider their work worth more than what the fair vendors are willing to pay, and feeling excluded from the circuit, they go out and offer them directly themselves; another reason could be that they are not indigenous artisans at all and they buy from the fair vendors themselves to later resell them as street vendors; another motive I can think of is that it's sheer opportunism—taking advantage of the influx of tourists knowing that many pass by the fair on their way back so as not to tour the Ruins burdened with objects. Whatever the case, those people's situation was not good, an "almost homeless" situation with many small children made to work out of necessity (they were also offering small saplings of an orchid quite common in the country). If they had been there on the way out, we would have bought something from them.
We moved on to the Handicrafts Fair. It is located right next to the Ruins and takes up approximately the length of one block. They are small stalls with local crafts. To take as a souvenir, to take as a gift, or simply for pleasure, there is a variety to buy. Some better, some not so much. There are various prices, and they are affordable. In our case, we selected those to our liking, and those where there was the possibility (in many of them) of indicating the locality. Some artisans are the same people running the stalls and you can see them right there working. Since they make a living from it, they treat you well and strike up a conversation with explanations or other topics. There was one gentleman in particular who had something to remark about every craft; he assigned a specific traditional use to most of them, and for the ones he couldn't give a use to, he added a comical twist. Another artisan told us about the origin of each of his pieces—the ones he bought and the ones he made himself. Another told us that in his free time he goes to work at the Fair, but his formal job is a different activity. Having toured the Fair, we returned to the downtown area.
We had a problem with the camera; we didn't think we were going to take so many photos and videos, and the memory began to run out. In some places they sold memory cards, but not the one we needed, so one must keep in mind before traveling the issue of photographs and videos and storage space, which is difficult to get in small towns. We somehow solved this inconvenience by using the camera's internal memory and reducing the image size.
We walked three or four blocks and once again we were on the boulevard of Sarmiento Avenue. That is where Sarmiento's bust is actually located. Unfortunately, out of carelessness, we didn't take a picture of it. There is also a water well (aljibe) there. I don't know if it was ever operational or if it is just a replica placed there. The bench further back is in poor condition, impossible to sit on, and even if it had been in good condition, much less at that hour given how the sun beats down. We headed towards the recently reopened Provincial Museum Miguel Nadasdy House. Indeed, it is just a few steps from there; we only crossed the Avenue and arrived. It was open, and we were the only visitors, so we went inside and toured it. I made a separate review of that visit. Provincial Museum Miguel Nadasdy House.http://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com.ar/2015/02/museo-provincial-casa-miguel-nadasdy.html
After touring this other museum, we returned to our lodging, took a bath to refresh ourselves, and took a nap to rest after a lot of walking. A couple of hours later we were ready to go out again. We wanted to enjoy the Light and Sound show at the Jesuit-Guaraní Ruins. So off we went, walking through the quiet streets of San Ignacio. But as we got closer to the Ruins, it was noticeable that more people were gathering. Not everyone was going to the show; many were going to have dinner at the restaurants located opposite the Ruins. They were possibly tourists, and they approached on foot since the vast majority of lodgings are four or five blocks from that place. I made a separate review of that visit. Nighttime Image, Light and Sound Show at the Jesuit-Guaraní Ruins.http://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com.ar/2015/02/ruinas-jesuiticas.html
Once the show was over, we passed by the Handicrafts Fair again, and some stalls were still open; it was around 10:00 PM. Leave a space. Photo 74 casino Following the same route as in the afternoon, but this time at night, we passed by the Church, and right across from it, the neon lights announcing the Casino could be seen. Apparently, one letter was not lighting up. We didn't go in. We continued our way back to the lodging and feeling a bit hungry. At noon we had noticed that in various places, some people bring grills out onto the street and set up food there—quick meals, a lot for takeout, many people pulling over in their cars to buy and take it with them, others arriving on motorcycles. There was one stall in particular that had brochettes, and we thought it might be open again tonight. Off we went; it was on our way to the lodging, so it cost nothing to drop by and take a look. Two blocks from San Martín Square on San Martín Street. These people put a small blue awning out on the sidewalk and start selling what they cook. At night they had hamburgers. They were twice the size of those commonly sold in supermarkets and fast-food joints. They came with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a fried egg, in a pebete sandwich. That plus a soft drink was enough for the night. The amount of people stopping by to pick up their food was impressive. It gave the impression—I clarify that it is only a conjecture—that these people (it was an entire family) had come from outside; they were well organized, judging by the way they acted when performing their tasks: the person in charge of preparing the food did not touch anything with his bare hands, always using disposable gloves. The person collecting payments didn't even touch the drinks. They had each product well separated in its own containers, hand sanitizer was available for everyone, they had placed a well-located bin for waste, and everything was right there on the sidewalk. We had seen several people using this system, but almost all at noon; these people also did it at night. Having concluded our dinner, we returned to the lodging.
The chronicle of this trip continues in Part IV of IV of Visiting San Ignacio – Province of Misiones.
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario