Monthly Archives: April 2023

travel

Miramar at Mar Chiquita, Còrdoba Provincia, Argentina

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Cactus on the way to camp

We had a fantastic travel day from Santa Fe, Santa Fe Provincia, Argentina to an campground that didn’t exist. We arrived to the GPS coordinates at ten at night with a clear star filled sky. The coordinates put us in a quiet spot between a wildlife preserve and a cornfield but no campground in site.  The wildlife preserve signs asked us not to hunt, disturb the wolves or bring dogs. We kept Gypsy very close, made a quick camp and slept. The camper window was oriented to the full moon rising which was my last sight of the night.

Still alive (not the cornfield site)

The next morning, we woke to the sun rising through the same camper window. I love the morning sunrise. Mike and I made coffee and took a walk on a road through the cornfield towards the lake. There were hundreds of Chilean Flamencos on the bay of Mar Chiquita. Our position was too far for photos but their numbers impressed our minds. We also heard Pygmy Owls which we had seen on the road the night before.

Mar Chiquita with Mike and Gypsy

As the kids got up, we made a plan for the short drive to Miramar at Mar Chiquita. Miramar is a beach tourist town at the edge of Mar Chiquita. Mar Chiquita is three times saltier than the ocean. So, you bob like a cork when you swim. It’s shockingly green-blue, like photos of the Mediterranean Sea.

The beach of Mar Chiquita at Miramar
Gigantic cactus around Miramar which host an insect used for its bright red dye of carmine (per Candie Borduin)
Niles enjoying the nightlife of Miramar
Gypsy enjoying leaving the salt for the mountains of Còrdoba, Argentina.
travel

No Boundaries

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I met a ham radio operator today in Argentina named Dario who has this beautiful radio setup tucked into the side of his son’s oil change workshop. Dario uses his radios to talk with people all over the world, including Japan, Russia, and the United States.
Dario sat down with me and explained the different frequencies, how storms and rain can affect signal, and then called up one of his friends in Uruguay.

If he makes a first contact with another radio operator, they will exchange post cards with the date, frequency, each other’s radio information, and a personal note. He then proceeded to show me over 20 years of postcards from contacts he has made over the years.


He told me how the economy in Argentina is so bad that most years he can just afford to eat, but there is no way he could ever afford to travel to other countries. Instead, he uses his radios to travel all over the world and talk to people he never would have met. I was humbled by his amazing attitude, such a wonderful person to have a conversation with.