Tarantulas in Patagonia

Another excerpt from one of Ben's entries in our Patagonia travel diary. The setting? A people mover with seven of us in it. It was 2005. So Ben, Tim and Andy were big. We were pretty squashed in. Matt was little and we were trying to do 10,000 kms in three weeks as we wanted to see as much of the south of Argentina as we could. The audio books of the Chronicles of Narnia were our constant companion. Ben writes:

We're being overtaken by beer trucks and ambulances [Tim's driving]… 'There's another smelly pond' says Matt. "This is the provincia of smelly ponds" says Mum. Pete points out 'mini flamingos'. No one knows what he means by them though, and no one saw anything. Is he going on his own little trips?

We're listening to "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe." Apparently there are tarantulas on the road, so we're going to try and stop and see the next one. Dad's in the front seat and has wet jocks and a wet singlet hanging in his ear. He went for a run this morning and washed them in the shower. Brilliant. Edmund has just met the witch for the first time.

We just drove past a 'huge' tarantula. We didn't stop. And another one. Andy's frustrated that Tim can't stop for a tarantula. Dad thinks that by the time we've stopped they'll be off the road. Possibly. Unless they're squashed. Matt doesn't think we'll see any as 'they move quite fast'. Edmund is on to Turkish Delight.

Started slowing down for a tarantula but the masterminds in the front two seats decided against it, 'cos it was squashed. So we're not stopping for squashed ones as they're squashed and not stopping for live ones as by the time we stop they'll be off the road.

Half squashed would be good, 'cos then they'll only be able to drag themselves off the road, at not too quick a pace and we should be able to make an aquaintance. Mmmm.