Wildlife at Ibera Wetlands and Gaucho Gil explained

Egrets
Patron saint for travellers
Ibera
Capybaras

Reserva Provincial Esteros del Ibera is the next stop, a large wetland reserve home to numerous bird and animal-life. Saw black Caimans (type of crocs) bask in the sun, and Capybaras (giant guinea pigs) roam freely. There are also over 350 types of bird here, kingfishers, egrets, heron, cormorants, vultures; shame I am not doing 'a big year' eh?

BTW had my first critter-shower experience. On turning on the shower the nozzle was on the bath spout setting and out popped a little frog into my awaiting hands. He was a fast and jumpy little beggar. Proud to say I didn't shriek, but he did get a very wary eye cast on him and Christ could he leap from wall to wall. No doubt this will not be my last such experience.

We did a boat trip around Laguna Ibera and its embalsados, saw loads of wildlife and watched a beautiful sunset. The sun plummets from the sky over here - blink and you miss it like!

Leaving the campsite we stopped at a Gaucho Gil shrine. We had spotted shires with red flags all around the roadsides of Argentina and it was presumed that these were memorials to people who had died on the roads. While this can be the case for some, the red flagged shines are usually dedicated to Gaucho Gil, the unofficial Argentine patron of travellers. He was a deserter of the military in the 1870's who evaded capture for quite some time. During that time, he was a sort of "Robin Hood" figure, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. When he was eventually captured and sentenced to death, he was hung upside down from a tree. As the executioner was preparing to behead him, Gaucho said, "If you do kill me, your son will be stricken with a deadly illness, and the only way to save him will be to give my body a proper burial." As expected, the executioner proceeded with his task and, when he arrived home, discovered that his son was deathly ill. He returned to the site of the execution and buried Gaucho's body. His son was miraculously cured and a legend was born. Now, Argentineans have built shrines throughout the country to venerate the memory of Gaucho Gil. The significance of flags and red colour are unknown, but may have something to do with either the colour of Gaucho's political party or the colour of the blood he shed. The shrines are all usually ramshackle, little more than a crate containing a statue, but all have the same purpose, a wish of safe passage for travellers.

P.S. Apologies for the lack of posts recently, but I'm reading Gregory David Roberts magnificent Shantaram. It is completely compelling and reading it is taking up all my free time, I just cannot put the book down (and it's a feckin' heavy 931 page book!). Totally going to purchase my own copy on my return. India, in my opinion, still comes across as terrifying and awesome at the same time. And the balance is definitely tipped towards terrifying!