Laguna Negra and Santa Teresa

We have been exploring sites along the coast the last few days. Tuesday was rainy so we went into Chuy on the border of Brazil in the morning to find a bank and a place for lunch. The ATM machine in town wasn't working, but the bank was open and gave us money after standing in 2 lines and writing down Jake's passport number a few times. We had lunch at the Hotel Plaza Restaurant. The friendly waiter brought me a steaming cup of cafe con leche and homemade bread with a very garlicky basil mayonaisse to snack on. We got a salad, chicken with light curry sauce and an omlette that were all perfectly acceptable. The town has the energy of a border town and is filled with duty-free shops. It seems kind of strange to see all these fancy appliances and perfumes being sold out of cheap looking stores. Jake figured it would be great place to look for trademark violations. We bought a couple inexpensive duffel bags to bring home our extra stuff in. Everything is priced in dollars.

We visted Laguna Negra, one of the shallow freshwater lakes common in the area. See the photo of fishermen walking out into the shallow water. The flora along the lake edge was quite different. A mix of low evergreen trees, cactus and many different flowering plants. It's clearly a very moist environment, but the rocks must favor cactus sometimes. The trees were often filled with what I think are monk parakeets. And we got a great view of a rhea again! The Santa Teresa fort was closed, but impressive even from the outside. The day before we had explored the Santa Teresa National Park with its elaborate garden. I even caught Jake photographing a flower! The park has many beaches and some cabins that can be rented. Also nice camping spots among the Eucalyptus groves.