Just as we left the campsite at Calingasta the drizzle started. The sky was overcast and it was clear we would need our wet weather gear at some stage. We cycled alongside a small river with trees, houses and a variety of plants that were not pampas. The road was a series of ups and downs for about 45km so pleasant and not too tiring. We were heading towards some North Wales style black clouds, with blue sky above us and more black clouds behind. The best thing seemed to be not to stop for a break but to keep going as long as possible with the good weather. Eventually we heard thunder and lightning behind us. Luckily it stayed behind us on the higher hills as there was nowhere for us to hide from it. Slowly the skies darkened and eventually opened. We were hit by a hail storm – marginally better than rain since it tended to bounce off us. A woman in a pick-up truck asked if we wanted a lift but self-respect made me decline – we couldn’t keep getting lifts.

The hail eased off and we arrived at a junction with a container used by the police conveniently positioned to provide shelter from the wind. We thought it was abandoned, but a policeman stuck his head out of a window when he heard us. We had our coffee and then started the assault on the big climb. Strangely the black clouds had dispersed but our old friend the wind followed us up blowing every which way. At one point a gust caught me off-guard and I nearly came off. Another time the wind was so hard we had to push. The climb was 14km of windy road with an ascent of about 1000m. At the top it went up and down again before going up. We camped just before the last bit of climbing behind some hillocks. The next morning was a mostly downhill run to ruta 40 at km 3519 (there is a marker at every km). At the junction there was a petrol station with a café – a place called Talacasto – otherwise seemingly abandoned. There was coffee but no fresh cakes or empanadas that we had been fantasizing about. We filled up our water bottles and headed north.

The ruta 40 at this stage was not too busy and drivers tend to be considerate giving us plenty of space. Many of them hooting, waving or giving us the thumbs up. The road ambled up and down, good asphalt and well graded. However the countryside was unbelievably boring – pampas on both sides with some distant brown hills. We made good progress but stopped every 10 km to break up the monotony, ease our aching posteriors and drinking some water. Rob got the first puncture of the trip. It seemed to be a slow one so he pumped up the tyre and we agreed to start looking for a camping spot. One arrived in the form of three abandoned houses well set back from the road. When we got there we realised that the biggest must have been the railway station (the old railway line paralleled the road), the two other houses were probably accommodation for the workers. We moved into the furthest from the road. With a little rubble removal we were able to make ourselves comfortable for the night. We didn’t need the tent so could lie in our sleeping bags looking up at the stars (the roof had long since collapsed). The house consisted of one big room and a smaller one, which had been the bathroom. There were still holes in the walls where the last residents had hung pictures. Rob mended his puncture, while I welded the pasta to the saucepan ( he normally does the campside cooking).


The next day we had another 45 km until the town of San Jose de Jachal passing a few small villages with kiosks selling cold drinks. As we neared the town the vegetation changed – there were trees and even signs of cultivation of olives and some sort of fruit. After a tour of honour around the town we finally found a hostel and a pizzeria. The pizza turned out to be a large round cheese and ham sandwich with a bit of decoration on top. San Jose de Jachal was quite large but only the piazza had asphalt roads. Most of the towns around here seem to be built on a grid system but only the most important services such as banks and the council are in the centre, all other shops seem to be spread out in the gird making them difficult to find. The elections are currently running and two of the main parties found it necessary to sit at opposite sides of the piazza and play very loud music all day. One of them seemed to have taken over the tourist office. The promised free wi-fi in the piazza didn’t work and unable to locate an alternative we consoled ourselves with a large dinner.