The End.... of the Beginning

18th Aug to 22nd Sept

Flying home gives me time to reflect....

6 months.
5,500 odd miles (roughly - computer broke)
4 countries.
127,000 metres accumulated altitude!!
2.5 million pedal revolutions (estimated)
1 accident - on the last day of riding!
Coldest - minus 24 degrees centigrade Bolivian altiplano.
Highest - 4400m Bolivian altiplano.
Falling off/dropping bike - too many to count.
Biggest day - 200km.
Punctures NONE - unbelievable, but true.
Bike breakdowns - none again - I ride a Thorn Nomad which is awesome.
Tyres - 2
Chains and sprockest - 1

Highlights - again too many to count, but.....

Best Scenery - Argentina 7 lakes - Every bend in the road reveals new eye candy.



Best Riding - Argentina. The pass down towards Mendoza. 80kms all downhill in stunning snow capped mountain scenery.



Best Hiking - Chile. Torres Del Paine, a mini mountain range with glaciers, multi coloured granite, and the Towers at Dawn



Best City - Tough One, Bolivia La Paz... oh and Chile Santiago.

Biggest Event - Tough again, Bolivia re-elects Morales AND The Chaiten Volcano eruption



Comedy Moment - Chile, The world's dumbest horse

Weird Scenes - Bolivia, Salar de Uyuni



Worst Roads - Bolivia outside Potosi



Best HospitalityMany many examples, but Marcelo at the closed pass to Mendoza is a stand out, buying us food and 2 nights accomodation as we froze in the snow.

Many many more...

And much of it shared with a great travelling companion Michael Maynes who was there for a big part of it - the highs and the lows.



South America is a place of extremes in many ways the geography, geology, climate, but one thing was constant - the hospitality of the people. Wherever I went this was a feature and a constant reminder that I need to avoid the sterotypes and media delivered misconceptions and experience things first hand before hardening my opinions.

This is the end of beginning as it's only the first chapter. I am continuing my travels, by bicycle of course, this time with a new traveling partner. My girlfriend Sue has finally seen the light and quit her job as a Maths teacher and we're planning (well looking at a globe) for the next leg....

Stay tuned for updates.....

Trip Ends

Monday 11th August to 17th August

52 hours on a coach!! 52 HOURS

I didn't want the expense and hassle of a flight back to Buenos Aires, and I knew a coach ride would not be fun. But.....

I could cope with the clapped out death trap of a bus for 16 hours to get to the Argentine border....
I could cope with the corrugated roads that give the back a work out to make the most sadistic chiropractor proud....
I could even cope with the window at my side that continually vibrated open to allow a minus 15 degree gale force wind to blow direct in my face....
And the 4 hour border crossing at five in the morning....

But 6 whole series of "Stairway to Heaven". Yes 6 series of a Chilean soap opera revolving solely round a Chinese family. This is a family that marries, argues, fights, divorces and gets re-married, then divorced again, sometimes in a single half hour episode. All in Spanish and all at top volume.... Repeated for 36 episodes. Somebody shoot me!!

To cap it all - I spend 6 untroubled months in South America, to finally develop stomach problems and diarrhea as I get on the bus. A bus with no toilet!!! No problem - just hang on for bathroom breaks.... until the bus breaks down, and after road side repairs, no more stops are allowed to catch up time!!! Aaaaargghhhh.

I overdose on Imodium. And my insides set solid.

The bus terminates on the outskirts of BA, and I am stranded with about 18 miles to go. Helpful bus staff inform me - ride to station, take train to underground, take underground to second train, take second train to BA centre, take third train out. No problem until I descend 3 flights of stairs to an underground that does not allow bikes. I then carry bike and gear back up 3 flights of stairs!!

And ride through rush hour BA... to have my first accident on tour. An errant taxi driver who tries to kill me by cutting across my lane and I make tyre imprints in his door panel. Seriously peeved by the last 2 days of bus travel and his lack of driving skills.... we communicate. Normally passive I am moved to threaten adding knuckle imprints to his angry face. A man of wisdom, he sees the ragged, maniacal glint in my eye - and retreats. Wise decision, stairway to heaven has me unhinged!

Finally the train station, a short ride and a warm welcome back at a good friend, Mick's place where my trip began sooooo long ago. Many thanks go to Mick and apologies for pretty much sleeping a 4 day visit away. 4 days of recuperation, then the flight home and tour's end.....

To Bolivia - 5

Friday 28th

Sand does not hold heat. We awake freezing. I try to put in contact lenses and they have set solid in their cases! All my water is solid. I measured minus 8 degrees in the tent last night. That was midnight. I woke at 4am and it was colder! Way colder... I estimate minus 15 in the tent, maybe minus 20 outside. I do a sleeping bag sun dance and try to sleep....

Morning... and we have to push the bikes back up to the road. Through sand. Sand may not hold heat, but it sure holds tyres. Dani and I get to the road and sprawl gasping for breath. Welcome to altitude thinned air.

A gentle climb gets us past Tres Cruces and the highest point of the pass. Cue cheezy pose by sign...



3780 metres!! That´s why I can´t breathe.

In Abra Pampa we stock up at a colourful market. Rumour has it that Bolivian food leaves a lot to be desired and we hoard the good stuff....



And then eat most of it in the dusty plaza...



A coach driver informs us that all climbing is done until the border. We celebrate as speed increases along pancake flat tarmac...



We make good ground past the locals....



And make a stop in Pumahuasi for water and I am accosted by more locals. 6 drunks in a bar and I am forced to drink a stronger brew. It´s 3pm and they are so far gone, my Spanish is better than theirs - and that´s not good. Communication is limited to toothless grins, gurgling laughter and much back slapping before I am finally allowed to wobble away, a few glasses worse for wear. Maybe the strength of the local fire water explains the parking outside...



It´s our last day in Argentina!! We camp 5kms short of La Quiaca, the border town and the chance meeting in the bar sums up some of the hospitality I have been lucky enough to encounter here. People will just invite you into their world for a brief visit and I have always felt the better for it. It´s an amazingly warm and hospitable place and a stark contrast to the jaundiced view often taken of South American countries. I am glad of my time spent here redressing the balance and I recommend other people visit this spellbinding country. I know I will be back again!!

My last Argentinian sunset.





Tomorrow - BOLIVIA!

To Bolivia - 4

Thursday 26th

Passing Humahuaca, a tourist destination at 2950m trees are once again absent, and it´s back to dusty cactus country. I estimate this beast is 9 metres tall...



And still we climb. Distant Dani crawling ant like - his frequent Germanic refrain "Yes but on zee hills - I go slow"....



It gets steeper....



As the road slices rock...



We descend and mourn the loss of precious altitude metres - we need those metres back before Bolivia!! Turning West the wind picks up. And picks up again. And then begins to howl. It´s not Tierra del Fuego, but it´s reminiscent. We work hard to descend.



Before turning into a new valley and the world goes from red to green. We take lunch at the side of ruined railway tracks....



Ruined railway bridges - remnants of an older, more affluent era....



3km short of Tres Cruces, we find the first shelter from the wind for an hour and decide to camp in dry, sandy river bed.



Well Dani and I do. Michael has a meat craving and rides on to town in search. A cyclist´s need for food will not be denied!

To Bolivia - 3

Wednesday 25th

Awakening, we await the sun.

Michael makes more bike repairs as Dani looks on. Spokes mysteriously break during the night...



And the days ride starts with a punishing climb. We rise 350m in the first 2kms of the day. Gruelling! This is not a good way to warm the legs up...



But the view back down the valley shows our progress as coaches crawl laboriously up...



The sun finally brings some heat to the day and the gradient levels off to a more manageable incline. We ride...

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Before slowing for more steeps approaching Maimara...



Maimara perched against colourful rock waves....



Tilcara - a new build town of cookie cutter similar block houses set in a mountain paradise...



And I cross the Tropic of Capricorn - latitude 23 degrees 26 minutes and a world away from Ushuaia at 54 degrees 48 minutes. 30 degrees difference is one sixth of the planet!!



We climb another 900m and camp in a stand of thorn trees.

The sun sets....

To Bolivia - 2

Tuesday 24th

It´s a cold damp start to the day. We pack up sodden tents. Resuming the freezing descent in to the valley. Evergreens give way to deciduous trees and the jungle thins. We pass a beautiful lake.



And reach San Salvador de Jujuy to make repairs. I changed my chain in Salta and it´s been making a noise like a machine gun set to rapid fire ever since. We find a mechanic shop and borrow tools to change sprockets. Dani repairs the bodge job done to his bike in Salta.



Leaving San Salvador, the climb begins.



Bolivia is higher than Argentina. The border is around 4000m and Salta is a lowly 1250m. We knew at some point we would go up. Now we know it´s going to be for the next 250kms. We rise towards the clouds, mountains looming in the mist...



The viewpoint in the valley just before Leon...



We ascend an exausting 900m before coming upon a tiny village. Enquiring at the police station we are allowed a camp spot behind the church. He warns us of the freezing winds that howl up the valley from the south... We´re at 2000m altitude and it´s minus a few degrees. It´s only going to get colder from here on....

To Bolivia - 1

Monday 23rd

It´s good to ride again. 5 days in Salta were a welcome break after the road from Mendoza, but it´s time to move on.

Leaving Salta, it´s a surprise to ride into a heavily forested area as we roll towards El Carmen. We climb and the air becomes damper. The woods evolve into semi-jungle and I cannot believe the road was desert just south of Salta! Bird cries acompany us and we catch glimses of parrots amongst the green. The air is so wet here, clouds are pinned to tree tops.



It´s freezing. The moist air leaches heat away and fingers and toes tingle. Cresting the climb, the descent is a blast of steeply banked turns that test nerve and tyres alike.



Left, right, hairpin after hairpin.... The road snakes down to the valley.



We have to camp. It´s so cold in the damp air. We find a picnic area on the border of Jujuy - the final province in Argentina and pitch up for a damp night.

Salta

Wednesday 19th to Sunday 22nd

Salta is a chance to clean up. Repair bikes. And meet old friends. Em and Em who we have met in various places along the route (Bariloche, San Martin, Santiago, Pucon) arrive a day after us. It´s great to catch up....

Salta is busy. It has a slightly sleazy feel to it away from the glitzy central plaza. Pavements are too narrow and people jostle for space spilling into fast moving rivers of traffic. Markets are crowded. It´s a contrast to the more tranquil feel of Mendoza.

Meat market...



The people have changed in appearance further North. There´s a much stronger indigenous element to faces and skin tones are darker. It´s friendlier too (for me anyway).

Tired from days of riding we make the most of the best hostel in town Yatasto owned by Hector and family who make us feel right at home... We catch up on some well earned sleep, European cup football, and eating....



Thanks to Gabriella, Hector, Mary Jane and Gabrielle.

The Road to Salta - Part 10

Tuesday 17th Wednesday 18th

The road from Cafayate to Salta is 190kms of unbelievable otherwordly canyon scenery reminiscent of Arizona. Passing out of the valley, descending all the way, the scene changes to England. Green pastures, variegated forests, gentle rolling hills. 2 continents in one day ride.... It´s another great cycling day.

Beautiful striations and wind perforated rocks...



Every turn revealing new wonders...





Deep river gouged canyons....



The Obelisk....



Finally coming to the valley exit...



Struggling to find a camp site at the end of the day, we enquire at a tobbaco plantation, where the finca owner shows us to the perfect spot and provides us with firewood....



Wednesday we cycle the remaining 40kms into Salta to complete the journey. An epic section of Ruta Cuarenta stretching 1300 kilometers of incredibly scenic Argentina. Breathtakingly broad valleys, distant snow capped peaks, huge passes to climb, golden sunsets, endlessly straight roads telescoping to the horizon, surreal Martian rock formations, hot days, freezing nights, agonising ripio - it´s got everything.

14 days continuously in the saddle and all without a single shower or wash, it´s a surprise when Hector at Yotasto hostel allows us in the building. His sense of smell must be in question. Salta - we finally made it! Now a couple of days rest, once I´ve hit the shower...



400 kilometres to go - Next stop Bolivia