BUM 118

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At last, I´m up and running. Caught the bus to San Juan, met up with Sophie and Anya from La Cumbre, dawdled a lot and set off on the bike mid afternoon, just when it was hottest, relaxed in the knowledge that the town of Talacasto was only 50 km up the road and I could eat out, stock up, etc.
EXCEPT that Talacasto doesn´t really exist. It is a name on a map in a desert and whoever may have lived there once certainly doesn´t anymore, so I slept in the desert, with big rocks outside my tent in case I had to scare away pumas, under a full and yellow moon. This is pàrt-and-parcel of my no planning plan.
I like it really.
Next day was a wopper. 116 km in a very hot desert with yesterdays bread and sweaty cheese and water pumped out from a stream.
But it meant the following day was easy peasy, into Barreal, which is an oasis of green and met up again with Sophie, Anya and Dustyn (who took the easy option of a car) and stuffed myself stupid with food, beer and dulce de lecce ice lolly.
Thus fortified, I was blase about the 110 km to Ushalla and duly set off late the next day and was duly punished by an insane wind smack into my face for 5 hours, so it was another night out in the desert, only this time I didn´t bother with the rocks. I ate enough garlic to deter any beasty and slept like a (smelly) baby.
And so I had all day to cover 60 km today and took all day over it as the road was either gravel or gravel hidden under a foot of dust, which meant i had to be slow. When I wasn´t slow, I ripped a couple of holes in my rear tyre and then manged to give myself a puncture whilst I changed it.
The scenery is spectacular. Vast plains and big pointy mountains.
My big decision is whether to carry on south in Argentina or nip over the Andes to Chile. Chile it is tomorrow. I looked at the distances for the first time and realised it would be 150 - 200 km between towns in the desert and as I´m a soft lad I´m off to where the grass is greener on the other side instead. The decision was helped and massively directed by a chance meeting with a couple of Argentinians this afternoon who I plied with beer and raved on about Chile. Which is exactly what the random farmer at the monkey world in La Cumbre also said.
So. That´s the plan.

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Comments

[derek]

Good lad
well what can i say, it must be the longst distance you have ever gone and not got lost, of course i assume you are not trying to get to the lake district? I note the inverted bike and rubish all over the road side marked the site of your camp, unmistakable tpo those of us who have cambed with you before? Anyway less of the abuse, i am totally jealous, it is wet and cold here in Yorkshire and our life now revolves around clearing up dog poo and trying not to get bitten? Looks like you are having the time of your life, who needs teaching? keep going mate, keep submitting blogs we are watching. Keep safe Des.

[mightymark]

Ey oop el Derek. I have of course got lost several times, but Chile being so thin I have reasonable prospects of moderating my lostness. I am indeed off to the lake district. Those 2 misshapen, hairy pistons (legs, not random Chilean girls) are propelling me south, where a further Andes crossing and an ozone hole await me. Good to hear from the big country up North.