http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ChristopherM/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from ChristopherM en-us Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:26:04 +0000 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:26:04 +0000 Dawn had given fresh colour and perspective to the grassy oceanic expanse of the steppe. The deep green gently rolling contours flecked here and there by the tiny white outline of a distant ger were now free of the bullying heat that had harassed me for the previous three days. After a mammoth train journey from London to Ulaanbaatar Mongolia's congested capital I was relieved to be on the r http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Mongolia/Arkhangai/Tsetserleg/blog-406138.html My head snapped forwards as my front wheel was shoved sideways by the resistance of the long metal chain spanning the width of the road. With the fiercely bright morning sun full in my face and my mind fully occupied deciphering the scenes around me attempting to establish what if any exit procedures I should follow I had failed to spot that my way ahead the bordercrossing between La Quiaca http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/blog-313201.html Even though I had expected the Argentines to be amiable and goodnatured I was still taken aback by the genuine warmth of these superfriendly people who offered help when I looked lost waved to me as I cycled past and dealt with my clumsilyconstructed Spanish with patience and goodhumour.The occasional truckdrivers and motorcyclists with whom I was sharing the roads waved and sounded their h http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/La-Rioja/blog-294551.html Five days in and my longplanned South American cycling trip was suffering from a notable absence of actual cycling. My bike was still in the box that had brought it to Santiago from London and I was becoming increasingly frustrated with being stranded in the Chilean capital.My plan to take one of the numerous buses that climb up over the Andes to the Argentinian city of Mendoza my intended sta http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Mendoza/blog-287366.html