More flat tyres, More police corruption!

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Hey kids


Don´t worry we haven't got stuck in some groundhog day or anytihng its jsut what happens in South America, plus lots more this might be long. Firstly amy you wish for too much but ehres a full stop for you. Right so from Salta we got our little WV Gol, a Manc called Rachel and lots of fear at the prsopect of Ali driving and set off through some fairly busy streets with fairly big junctions wiht fairly bad right of way signals or rules but then we got out of the city and the roads a re pretty empty and we took of towards Cachi which involved going up a really massive dry valley which we had to stop in at some pointo because some gauchos werew hearding their cattle down to the river, then we wound up a mountain drove along to a viewpoint wheres there was a misty lake and lots of rocks and tiny tiny frogs, then the cloud kicked and we drove back to the main road and went up higher and higher and found a tiny little church which only about one person could fit in, not that it really matters cos there can't be too many people who go all that way for sunday service thenw e wound along a sierra which was sided by çsoem fairly chunky mountains and multicoloured sand or mud or something or rather, then we got to the cactus field. Whcih was an absolutely massive flat are covered in 12foot cacti and backdropped by 5000metreplus snowy peaks was incredible especially when the thunder kicked off and started echoing round the whole valley and the rain kicked in even though just behind us it was sunny and it was probly snowing jsut down the road and so we carried on along the worlds straightest road found some more big mountains and a few more cacti then got to some tiny little town where the local kids throw stones at your car, and so chase after them knock em down, send some flowers to the family and get the hell out of there. Maybe not that bit, but then we saw a massive sign advertsing goats cheese so we swung ovewr found some guy selling Mistrella which is like terrible terrible sherry, and he had lots of "spices", apparently saffron, but none were spicy, then we went to a house and got about a ton of goats cheese for a 2 quid and vamosed on to Cachi. there we found Barney, and the campsite was full so we stayed in a hospedaje which is pretty much someones house with a few extra rooms and sat around eating goats cheese and drinking wine and pretty much forgot to go check out the town. So the next day we arose nice and early and drove north to Somewhere del Diablo, name for most things roudn these parts, if you didnt have any knowledge of religion you´d probly think the devil was god, there wasnt massive there except mroe dry valleys backed by more snowy mountains and rivers and some incan missle silos. So we rumbled back towards Cachi then swung off sown ruta 40, whcih started as a fairly arrid valley all bumby road and little shacks, occasionally fertiled by the still used incan irrigation, here we saw some women cooking bread in her adobe oven so we sauntered over and bought a couple of darn hot loaves and yondled on. Cant quite remember what order stuff came in after that but one minute your driving through this valley then theres mountains either side of you right up close then theres a bit with teh most ridiculous rock formations all really jagged spears pointing up and then theres some red mountains, anyway it changes every 10metres or so then we found some vineyards and had a saunter round one but théy aern´t open to the public so a man with his dogs came along, so after gettignt he car stuck in some mud we rocked on through some more ridiculous landscapes bumbing along a really stone road our car was probly to low for and then we drove through a stream got on tarmac for the first time in a couple of hundred K and after 30metres we got a flat tyre. so we pulled over stood looking at it pretending we knew how to go about sorting it and then by the time we'd emptied the boot a van had pulled over out came 1 old dude 6guys about our age and three girls in bikinis gradually emerged, always more attractive than the last, 2 of the guys got there tools, jacked up the car, took off the tyre put the new one on all in about a minute, and me and ali definately we´re paying attention for next time! so we eventually got cafayete and found a campsite, Ali's first time on a proper campsite, incredible, they´re pretty much like european ones they just have more bbqs. So we chilled out had some beer and rabbit empanadas, then found Barney, and hung in town whcih was obviously in the middle of Argy holidays cos it was full people doing wierd juggling and swingçing about in trees and there was some band playing but only for about ten minutes, sow e just kinded of spectated everything. we spent the next couple of days visiting bodegas (vineyards) drinking wine trying to ride a tandem and generalyl learning about the vinticulture so now we are expert for when we open a vineyard. On my birthday/holocaust memorial day/what we though was our 100th day travelling we headed back to Salta. On the way theres lots more funny rocks including the amphitheatre which is a big carved bowl in the rock which has amazing acoustics, so a band were playing in it and ssome down the way making Zeldaesque noises, whcih we later discovered were in fact OCarinas so Ali bought me one as a present and someone else was selling llama salami, then we went on to another bit rock were we acted all gazelian (1) then found a Swiss lake toe at our llama by. Back in Salta we found a hostel had a siesta went to the bar which was strangely popular with expats, then strolled in this aussie guy we met in Jericoacora, had the strongest daquiri of all time went out for our first real steak wich was absolutely massive fairly wicked all though im sure theres better. then back to the bar for beer found some more english kids to come out with us, went to some bar, had an absolutely incredible Mojito, especially after the bolivian mojito whcih was basically sprite and mint. then we went to a club we were told played electronica but it was more kind wierd poppy stuff. then we found some local guys who took us to some all night bar, where had abit of a snooze then went back to tony's had some beers waited for it to start raining before heading back to the hostel just as everyone had got up and passed out for the day. Got up did nothing for four hours except quickly see people upstairs cos it was some aussie guys leaving-do, but didnt realy want to talk to him anyway cos he was off to Ghana to search for gold for an american company, fairly sure sure thats not on so passed out again. then mendoza called, in which we arrived, found a campsite, whilst fixing our tent pole, oh yeh i broke it on its first night, ouir little rucksacks got knicked, so we decided to head to town then while we were waiting for a bus some guy who had been talking all nicely to us early was trying to make us give him our tent cos other wise he would get some guys but after about 5minutes of harrasment the bus came and we got out of there. Found somewhere to stay for the night, and sat up drinking beer with the guys who worked there most the night, lecutres of the evening included one about the merits of mate aand another on the differences between Mendozan and Saltan wine, very informative. SO the next day we had to file a police report for our bags but it turned out there wasnt any cars free to take us to the station nearest where it happened because all the officers were in a meeting cos they´d just had a shootout. So the truth got altered slightly about where our packs got knicked and that was that. Next time we´ll try for some more hardcore corruption. So that dayw as a right off all though we met a Korean girl who was travelling obviously but didnt like south america but had been here for four months and didnt like mountains allthough she had climbed Kilamanjaro and all her stuff was up Aconcagua which is the highest peak outside the himalayas so we though about giving it a ganders but its cost about the GDP of Lesotho to climb and the weather was really bad up top and they were looking for a body, dont worry theres a chance the body was still breathing.
So the Sunday we spent trying to find somewhere to watch the Liverpool Chelsea game, we went to 5star hotels, casinos asked taxi drivers, there was even av place ecalled The Liverpool Pub' ç, didnt have a tv. Got recomended one place a bit futher out headed there but it was shut so we went to a massiçve park chilled around in the sun had an ice cream to cheer us up were walking back through town,saw lots of people walkign the other way wearing football shirts, so we ask some really drunk guy whats going on and he says Boca and River are 'playing, not wholly convinced we continue on then a car whips up nexts to us and soem guy tries to sell us tickets but we didnt have any money so we went back to our Israeli infested hostel got money went to the stadium got tickets for a tener, went into the stadium fairly close to the hardcore fans but it doesnt matter where you are cos everyone just sings and shouts for hours before and through the game, occasionalyl getting covered in a flag the size of the entire stand. Then at half time everyone cos dead quite and sits down, very strange but then it all kicks off again and we won 2-0, we being boca because thats the end we were in. We deserved it, the tight passing was phenomanal and Rivers 4 shots all hit the corner flags, pretty good at through balls though and unfortunately Juan Roman wasnt playing but maybe another day. the enxt day went to a couple of bodegas, one which made really good sparkling and a chocvolate factory which also made all kinds of wierd licquers, had a green pepper one which put an end to my enjoyment of the chocolate nibbles you get. and we had a voucher for a free glass of wine at a tasting room which tuirned out to be a really really upmarket little joint where you go in and your meant to a platter of wines and its all really expensive and absolutely full of people from boston, so we had our free glass and pretended we knew what we were talking about and scaddled to cordoba which didnt have much except a hostel with atleast 500 israelis in it and a jesuit crypt under a road and we swapped Pride and Prejudice for The Lonely Planet cos our footprints got knicked (thank god) so hoepfully they do things on quality not quantity then i think we left to Rosario cos it supposedly has lotsa of Drum n Bass and Breakbeat but we only found House on a fairly clean night out. And theres a monument to the flag which is awesome and memorial to thsoe who died in the Falklands War/Guerra de Isla Malvinas (apparently to meet international naming laws oir just not to piss too many people off you have to call it by both names). Then we came to Uruguay and although weve been here now 12 days that will have to wait till next time cos i need adrink and to catch a bus and your probably horribly bored and there sno photos till then either cos we dont have our cameras and this internet is rubbish anyhow

Enjoy the snow
bybebye xxxxx

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Photos

Gauchos and Mountains
the begining of our road trip, one cow managed to escape but kept making lots of noise, truly stupid.

Earthquake
not really just some fractured earth and more moutain

Misty Church
Probably the 2nd most remote chruch we´ve found.

Red mountains
some more mountains just a bit more red and cacti

M+C 2
Some freakily big mountain and some even bigger cacti (not than the mountain)

Valley
A dry valley made colourful and fertile by inca irrigation

Jagged Rocks
Further south it gets all dry and big jaggedy rocks pop out the ground everywhere

Tango
A bit of light entertainment after a hard drive.

Big bodega
Caffayette biggest bodega