A town that spent a quarter century under water is coming up for
air.
Epecuen, in the Argentine farmlands southwest of Buenos Aires, was
once a bustling little lakeside resort, where 1,500 people served
20,000 tourists a season.
During Argentina's golden age, the same trains that carried grain
to the outside world brought visitors from the capital to relax in
Epecuen's saltwater baths and spas.
The saltwater lake was particularly attractive because it has 10
times more salt than the ocean, making the water buoyant.
Tourists, especially people from Buenos Aires' large Jewish
community, enjoyed floating in water that reminded them of the Dead
Sea in the Middle East, AP reported.
Then a particularly heavy rainstorm followed a series of wet
winters, and the lake overflowed its banks on November 10, 1985.
Water burst through a retaining wall and spilled into the lakeside
streets. People fled with what they could, and within days their
homes were submerged under nearly 10m of corrosive saltwater.
Now the water has mostly receded, exposing what looks like a scene
from a movie about the end of the world. The town hasn't been
rebuilt, but it has become a tourist destination again, for people
willing to drive at least six hours from Buenos Aires.
People come to see the rusted hulks of automobiles and furniture,
crumbled homes and broken appliances. They climb staircases that
lead nowhere, and wander through a graveyard where the water
toppled headstones and exposed tombs.
It's a bizarre, post-apocalyptic landscape that captures a
traumatic moment in time.
One man refused to leave. Mr Pablo Novak, now 82, still lives on
the edge of the town, welcoming people who wander into the wrecked
streets.
Many residents of Epecuen fled to nearby Carhue, another lakeside
town, and built new hotels and spas, promising relaxing getaways
featuring saltwater and mud facials.
"Not only do we have Epecuen with the ruins and its natural wealth,
but we also can increasingly offer other alternatives," said Javier
Andres, the local tourism director.
