Who said Argentina can't do Carnival?

Having previously attended the mother of Carnivals in Rio de Janeiro - which I describe as being like the Sydney Mardi Gras parade times 100 - I was skeptical when I met Jorge who raved about Carnival in Argentina and said I just had to go. Yeah right, I thought, Argentina may have some great things, but it certainly ain’t Carnival. This was a while back. We’d just crossed the border from Bolivia and were waiting for a night bus to Salta. Jorge was the very chatty Argentine sitting next to us in a restaurant and was on his way to Bolivia for a holiday. It was the usual scenario. He spoke no English and us, no Spanish.

Well this ‘conversation’ (what the rest of the restaurant would have perceived as an ongoing game of charades) resulted in our getting on a bus last weekend to attend Argentina’s biggest Carnival celebration in Gualeguaychu, Entre Rios. We had planned the week well in advance. We’d spend the weekend in Buenos Aires followed by a week split between Rosario and the ‘G spot’ as we playfully named the tongue-twisting Gualeguaychu.

First up was Rosario. We’d heard a lot of good things about the University city, mainly about its beauty. Perhaps being from Sydney, with its twinkling harbour and unspoiled beaches, my perspective on waterside cities is slightly biased, as both Bec and I weren’t overly impressed with Rosario’s aesthetics. It sits on a peninsula encircled by the murky Paraná River. We went to a “beach” called La Florida on the River’s bank. The 12 peso entry fee seemed like a bit of a waste as the water was so uninviting that the most we got out of the visit were burnt bums from lying in the sun all day avoiding any temptation to swim. I wont harp on but I wouldn’t visit Rosario for a beachside holiday. In saying that, I can’t say we gave the city our full attention. As we were saving our pennies for Carnival, we didn’t get to the islands that face the city, nor did we eat out, so let’s not rule poor Rosario out completely.

 Rosario's Florida Beach

Thankfully, things looked up when we reached Gualeguaychu. It’s obviously a busy time of year for the little holiday town. We were lucky to get a spot in the Family Hostel, which was right in the centre, close to the action and well priced, considering the time of year. The night before the big outdoor event it poured non-stop with rain, and there were bursts of rain the following day, making us think twice about outfit selections. Thankfully it cleared up just in time for the 11pm start.

So, donned in face makeup (my attempt at the Carnival spirit which I made a slightly apprehensive Bec take part in) we headed to the Corsodromo. First port of call? The cocktail stand of course, where we selected a concoction served to us in a hollowed-out honeydew melon. Whatever they put in it, it was good, so we had another, and another.

And then there was the parade. Well ok, it wasn’t Rio, no, but it was a very impressive small-scale version. Our seats were great. We were three rows from the action and surrounded by excited onlookers, including a bunch of Argentine guys who were really keen for us to glitter them up with our supply. The parade had all the stock-standards – music – folk and samba, multi-leveled floats draped with vibrantly coloured oiled-up semi-naked bodies, masses of glitter, beads and feathers, and dancing, dancing, dancing.

What more could you want? Well in Rio I don’t think you’d get away with what we and many others did - jumping the fence and momentarily joining in on the energy of the parade. That made it all the more memorable. So I say kudos to you Jorge, you’re on a winner with this Carnival.