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Finally back on the road after many weeks – and to Mercedes it’s "only" 144 kilometres.
The Obelisco de Buenos Aires is an impressive monument. Like a giant pencil, it rises up almost 70 metres into the sky and marks the centre of Argentina’s capital. Argentina? Yes, we've covered a good distance since we arrived in South America. And rightly so: Our Axor with the "4-Xtremes" and RoadStars logos on the living compartment survived shipping from Hamburg across the Atlantic to Montevideo.
But trust us: When the time came and we were supposed to collect the truck in the port of Uruguay’s capital, we were really tense. The ship with the Axor arrived on a Friday. But since customs don't work over the weekend, we had to be patient. On Saturday, we were even drawn to the harbour – in the hope of maybe catching a glimpse of our home through a fence.
We are in the first office at 9.30 sharp on Monday. We get the shipping documents, and I, Andrea, get permission to enter the port with Mike, the vehicle owner. We are then ushered through a number of offices and get more papers, which are stamped and signed. Everything runs like clockwork and the customs officers are nice. You just need patience.
Around noon we are allowed to enter the port area – and just miss the agent: Lunch break. That means a two hour wait. The area looks pretty shabby. We decide not to let that unnerve us, because here too, the staff make an above-board and competent impression. Then everything happens very quickly: With the next piece of paper in our hands, we are allowed to go to the vehicle depot. At last we can get to our truck.
We open the doors with sweat on our brows. This is it! It quickly
becomes clear that everything is fine. Unfortunately, not all vehicle
owners were so lucky. On "our" ship there were 20 other
vehicles, four of which were damaged or stolen from. The "paper
game" continues – and when we finally roll out of the port
premises, it’s 5 pm.
We pick up our suitcases from the apartment we've rented for a short time and get out of the city! We fill the water tanks at a gas station and park next to the trucks. Get the living box ready for sleep and then it’s time to relax.
There's an anxious moment the next morning: The solar output is too low. Is something broken? Mike climbs onto the roof and can give the all-clear: The solar panels got dirty on the ship, that's all. So to wash the truck before we move on – to a quiet place where we spread out the contents of our suitcases and stow everything in the vehicle. Now we’re really ready to go.
The first trip takes us along the Rio de la Plata, around 180 kilometres to Colonia del Sacramento. The small town is considered to be Uruguay’s oldest, founded in 1680 by the Portuguese. Bumpy cobbled streets, colonial buildings – you feel like you've been transported back in time. And when the weather is good, if you look across the Rio, which is many kilometres wide here at its mouth, you can see Buenos Aires, our next destination.
As we all know, things are very close together in Europe. This is why we'll have to get used to the longer distances here. In countries as sparsely populated as Uruguay and Argentina, there can be a few hundred kilometres drive to the next large town. Upstream from Colonia del Sacramen to the Puente Libertador General San Martín, the border bridge to Argentina, is a good 200 kilometres. And they lead through seemingly endless arable land.
The formalities for entering Argentina are short and painless. After just 30 minutes, we roll onto the bridge, which is up to 45 metres high and almost 3.5 kilometres long. The next day we reach Buenos Aires. It's frenetically busy on the streets of the 15 million people metropolis. Navigation is difficult at first. At some point we will find a parking spot on a promenade in the rather chic district of Puerto Madero. We can leave the Axor alone for a few hours here with a clear conscience.
We can also take a stroll from here on foot. We visit the San Telmo district, where you can buy everything from vegetables to antiques at the market. There are small restaurants in between. Tango is actually being danced on the Plaza in front of the market, and we watch enthralled. We enjoy the warm evening and let the ambience work its magic on us.
Nearby, we find a parking spot to stay overnight – and can set off
early the next morning on foot. Whether on the modern pedestrian
bridge of Puente de la Mujer or in front of Argentina’s historic
Presidential Palace, the Casa Rosada: The metropolis, so bustling
during the day, is still deserted. We take a break at the Obelisk –
and are already looking forward to the next milestone. It's "at
the end of the world".
An unparalleled journey.
Andrea and Mike Kammermann have been on tour in their Axor for three years. "4-Xtremes – The World Tour" is the motto of the journey that the two Swiss nationals embarked on in mid-2020 and which they share with the RoadStars community. Keep up to date and don't miss out on any of the stunning destinations visited by the adventurous pair.
You can find the current parts from the “4-Xtremes – The World Tour” series here.
You can find the route of the trip before the crossing to South America here.
Photos: 4-Xtremes
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16 comments
Nach ,Mercedes , nur 144 km 👍😂
Gruss Andreas
Nach ,Mercedes , nur 144 km 👍😂
Gruss Andreas
Wieder eine tolle Story mit wunderbaren und farbenfrohen Bildern. 😍😍👍
Wo immer es jetzt für euch hingeht, wir wünschen euch eine gute Reise, allzeit eine saubere Stoßstange und immer einen Fingerbreit Diesel im Tank! 😎👍
Wir sind hier schon sehr gespannt auf interessante Erlebnisse, packende Storys und viele Bilder von euch! 😃😉😍
Wieder eine tolle Story mit wunderbaren und farbenfrohen Bildern. 😍😍👍
Wo immer es jetzt für euch hingeht, wir wünschen euch eine gute Reise, allzeit eine saubere Stoßstange und immer einen Fingerbreit Diesel im Tank! 😎👍
Wir sind hier schon sehr gespannt auf interessante Erlebnisse, packende Storys und viele Bilder von euch! 😃😉😍
Ganz liebe Grüsse aus Patagonien 😎👋
Ganz liebe Grüsse aus Patagonien 😎👋
... erneut gespanntes Warten auf euren kommenden Bericht samt Bildern um das Fernweh zu stärken 😉😃
cuídese, goce de buena salud y viaje con seguridad ✌️
Machets guet, bliibed gsund u. reiset sicher ✌️
... erneut gespanntes Warten auf euren kommenden Bericht samt Bildern um das Fernweh zu stärken 😉😃
cuídese, goce de buena salud y viaje con seguridad ✌️
Machets guet, bliibed gsund u. reiset sicher ✌️
Wir haben seit dem letzten Bericht schon wieder soooo viel erlebt und viele Bilder gemacht, damit du weiter mitreisen kannst.
Bis baaaaald 😎
Wir haben seit dem letzten Bericht schon wieder soooo viel erlebt und viele Bilder gemacht, damit du weiter mitreisen kannst.
Bis baaaaald 😎
Es gibt ja immer und überall noch was zu entdecken das ist so cool 👌
Hört bitte niemals auf zu reisen und uns an diesen tollen Geschichten teilhaben zu lassen ❤️
Es gibt ja immer und überall noch was zu entdecken das ist so cool 👌
Hört bitte niemals auf zu reisen und uns an diesen tollen Geschichten teilhaben zu lassen ❤️
Wir haben erst einen sehr kleinen Teil des Kontinents gesehen, wie du schon schreibst; es bleibt noch viel zu entdecken! Wir werden fleissig unsere Erlebnisse mit euch allen teilen.
Wir haben erst einen sehr kleinen Teil des Kontinents gesehen, wie du schon schreibst; es bleibt noch viel zu entdecken! Wir werden fleissig unsere Erlebnisse mit euch allen teilen.
Ich brenne jetzt schon auf Eure weiteren Berichte und wünsche Euch viel Glück, Erfolg und viel Spaß bei Euren Touren!!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍😍🚚😎👌
Ich brenne jetzt schon auf Eure weiteren Berichte und wünsche Euch viel Glück, Erfolg und viel Spaß bei Euren Touren!!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍😍🚚😎👌
Viele Grüsse von uns
Viele Grüsse von uns
Weiterhin eine tolle Reise und gute Fahrt. Passt auf Euch auf!
Weiterhin eine tolle Reise und gute Fahrt. Passt auf Euch auf!