TRAVERSE 139
TRAVEL- SOUTH AMERICA
FRANCESCO CICCARELLO & SERENA BARONCINI
A JOURNEY BEGINS
How long are Argentina and Chile, and does the world really end at Ushuaia? These were the questions we asked ourselves during those months of travel, every time a dot on the GPS or laptop screen indicated our position. The answer was that they were as vast in latitude as their landscapes were varied; red, arid lands that descended from the Andes toward the ocean, blue glaciers of Patagonia, and enormous green forests provided the backdrop to the warmth and joy of those who lived there.
In a country where 25 million of its 47 million inhabitants had at least one Italian ancestor, I’ d say it was easy to feel at home. While in Bolivia, European foreigners were often seen as cash machines to be exploited, the impression we got, once we crossed the border, was that there we were all related to each other. Kisses and hugs from our hosts and the unmistakable mi amor addressed to Serena sometimes provoked flashes of jealousy in me. Recent history, moreover, told us of people from all over Italy who found work and started families there, in the unstoppable migratory process that had always characterised human history.
After crossing the border at the first intersection, the sign indicated the start of Ruta 40, but we detoured onto Ruta 9 to rack up miles on fresh asphalt and catch a glimpse of the colours the mountains would offer us further ahead. In the unassuming town of Tilcara, we rushed to the nearest supermarket to stock up on Italian products: pasta, Nutella, biscuits, and snacks, rediscovering the pleasure of having breakfast the way we liked it. We discovered that the exchange rate we enjoyed when paying by card was not the official one but doubled the value of our euros; the cause was the nation’ s disastrous economic situation,
TRAVERSE 139