ABSTRACT
Vast, magnificent and filled with variety, Argentina’s delights were seductively revealed in the film The Motorcycle Diaries as the youthful Che Guevara and his mate careered through the country’s splendid hinterland. There you will find a landscape for every persuasion – deserts, plains, mountains, lakes and glaciers. With a recent history of oppression and military dictatorship, Argentina has now returned to democracy (and you can politely mention the Falklands/Malvinas). Buenos Aires is a sophisticated city of boulevards and, of course, tango dancing, and is European (especially Italian – hence the spectacular ice cream) in flavour. Getting to grips with the rest of the country takes time and some organization – the distances are so large; but the pampas (the gaucho cliché lives on), the Andean region bordering on Chile, and the empty wildernesses of Patagonia are full of spectacle and adventure – and fascinating wildlife. Not a great place for vegetarians, Argentina is a feast in waiting for meat eaters, while maté, a bitter herbal tea, is a great ritual drink for social occasions.
