The Pass to Mendoza 1

Sunday 25th

We leave with wounded heads, fuzzy from 4 days drink and 3 hours sleep.

It´s good to ride again.

We finally agree on a route out of town and prepare for an illegal dash up the Autopista (motorway). It´s a 3 lane high speed gauntlet to run and there´s no hard shoulder for the first 10kms. Exciting times, Braulio in hot persuit on his first tour - "I just luuurve it man, It´s Amaaaazing".



Fortunately it´s a Sunday and traffic is light, if suicidally fast. We ride out of the smog towards white capped mountains.



Next stop Mendoza...



We time the barrier and slip by alongside paying customers. I couldn´t see a price for cycles anyway...



A ghostly disembodied voice booms at us from a 3km tunnel "Cyclistas no pasar" and we are forced to hitch a ride to the other side...



We make a respectable 90kms considering hang overs and reward Braulio with a roadside camp fire close to Los Andes as we contemplate tomorrow when the hills start...