We had a relaxing, if frustrating, day off in Villa Union, where the promised wi-fi ‘paratodos’ (for everyone) in the main plaza didn’t work. The computer shop nearby advertising wi-fi paratodos directed me to the petrol station which had an open network and I spent an undignified hour on the kerb reading emails.

Rob practising his ‘asado’ skills

We tried some of the local wine, a torrentes (white) and a cabernet sauvignan finding both very drinkable and at only about 2 Euros a bottle. Rob honed his asado (barbecue) skills. Meat in Argentina is a lot cheaper than in Europe and, as we subsist mostly off pasta concoctions while on the road, have made a ‘tradition’ of treating ourselves to some quality meat on days off. Being vegetarian in Argentina would be difficult. The quality and choice of vegetables we have come across so far is dire even in the bigger towns.

Leaving Villa Union

Leaving Villa Union the next day the skies were grey and heavy, my legs felt heavy and even Rob admitted to a bit of a ‘Monday morning feeling’. We started on a straight road on the pampas again. It should be pointed out that the roads here are so straight that signposts and paint markings warn drivers a curve is ahead. We started slowly climbing and eventually came to some red rocky hills where the newly surfaced ruta 40 serpentined up in a very graded and, for us, manageable ascent. It was by this time near the end of the day. Somewhere near the top Rob spotted a path leading off to a flattish area hidden from the road, where we camped for the night.

Red rock landscape

The new ruta 40

Campsite near the top

View of our climb up ruta 40 from the campsite

The next day there were two marked summits before we started our descent towards Nanogasto passing La Cuesta de Miranda – an area of spectacular red rock. Unfortunately the weather was dull and cloudy, so it didn’t look its best.

Passing La Cuesta de Mirador

On the way down

At Nanogasto we actually saw a factory – the first sign of industry we had seen since leaving Mendoza. We carried on to Chilecito a larger town with the supermarket we required to stock up on food. At the entrance to the town was a large board proclaiming in Spanish that the Malvinas belonged to Argentina. The town plaza proved a quiet shady place to have lunch even if the wi-fi wasn’t working. Then we left heading for the small town of Pituil. We had wanted to get there to stay overnight as we were running short of water. However at 15km outside of town and with the sun going down I rebelled, when Rob stopped at a suitable camping spot. It was a ‘church’ with only a roof and an altar. Nearby was a roofed picnic area with concrete tables and chairs. We decided to camp in the picnic area, we would just have enough water with such a short journey in the morning.

Los Cardones – the biggest nearly 6m high

Pituil turned out to be a charming small town with the necessary shops for restocking cyclists; which the supermarket owner told Rob he regularly did. The plaza wi-fi was also working so we took some time to check emails. We then headed off through, by then, an increasingly hot pampas to a place called San Blas – more an area consisting of several small towns next to each other, each with its own facilities. The area was wedged between high hills on one side and pampas on the other with a strip of green in between where the towns stood. Presumably run-off from the rains on the hills allowed the greenery to flourish. On the way out of the area, we saw a sign for a campsite and thankfully pulled in. The wind was blowing quite hard (it would have been difficult to find a camping place in the pampas out of the wind) and we had had two nights camping wild, it was time for a shower.
The campsite consisted of a family house with various buildings tacked on containing the facilities for campers. Surrounding this was several small fields of green – trees, grass, bushes and flowers – and around all of it an irrigation moat. It was like arriving in an oasis in the middle of the desert. The campsite was decorated with various memorabilia such as an old English pump. Chickens and ducks of various sizes as well as a turkey scratched around freely. We had a relaxing evening. Unfortunately the main floodlight was left on so the three cockerels crowed at regular intervals during the night. We had wanted to get up early but not that early!

Spring in the pampa brings some colour

We did manage a 5.30 start and were away by 7.30. We still haven’t managed to cut the time we require from getting up to leaving from 2 hours. Cycling in the early morning was a bonus as the days are definitely getting hotter and we had 100km to cover to get to our next destination of Belen. There is nothing much to say about this leg of the trip. I listened to my MP3 player and Rob listened to the radio. En route we met up with a depressed German cyclist heading south. He had failed to meet up with anyone to cycle with and was considering heading over to Chile to find some greenery! In Belen the lack of a campsite meant staying in a hostel. After our long hot ride it was time to take a day off.