A very Happy New Year to you all from San Jose de Jachal, a small town in the middle of nowhere, about 300km north of Mendoza and currently about 39 degrees ... phew, just like being in Andalucia in July. We have had no option but to adopt the local rhythms of life, i.e. moving very slowly in the shade, taking a five-hour siesta and having dinner at 10.30pm - not particularly compatible with a cycling routine you might think, which is why we have decided that enough is enough. Tomorrow we're taking the bus to Mendoza, where it's only 35 degrees, and from there, probably another bus over the Andes to Santiago.
We've done 1,400km on the road in Argentina in just under three weeks (bringing our trip total to 4,700km) and have loved the wide open roads, the amazing colours of the desert and canyons, the genuine warmth and friendliness of the people, and the mind-boggling range of ancient, battered vehicles on the roads (a typical truck above, apparently constructed from bits of various other trucks) - particularly striking alongside all the swish, modern cars and pick-ups. We've also witnessed some violent storms with hailstones the size of large marbles and the effect of the these downpours on the roads can be dramatic (see photo above with mud and debris)
New Year's Eve for us was a complete non-event in a nice way - spent in an hosteria on the outskirts of a very sleepy village, too tired to stay up til midnight, we missed the UK New Year and then subsequently realised that the clocks had gone forward in Argentina anyway. Still, sitting in deck chairs in the garden and star-gazing with a litre of local red was certainly memorably different.
New Year's Eve for us was a complete non-event in a nice way - spent in an hosteria on the outskirts of a very sleepy village, too tired to stay up til midnight, we missed the UK New Year and then subsequently realised that the clocks had gone forward in Argentina anyway. Still, sitting in deck chairs in the garden and star-gazing with a litre of local red was certainly memorably different.
We're looking forward to a few days off now and probably won't be cycling again until Temuco and the Chilean Lake District, where it is summer but without these ridiculous temperatures. We have been warned about giant horseflies, though ... insect repellent is on the shopping list for Santiago!
