What a powerful feeling to be back on the bike after 16 days- have I mentioned that before? POWERFUL! I imagine how it feels to ride a motorcycle - that big engine between your legs and the speed in your face, feeling the road, the world is yours... Sure, close enough, but my own motor is even more powerful- not dependent on gasoline or a big machine...just your own machine, your body - taking extra special care of it is part of the fun too!
The roads are paved, the wind unpredictable, but - at least- we are not riding through the desert with the sand blasting in our faces...just had a little too much of that. Everything in moderation! Once we got out of Peru and the many, many high passes to Cusco, unpaved roads, I thought nothing can be that difficult - I was so damn done with the ups and downs that I thought I am ready to ride flat boring roads for the rest of my life. It only took a couple of month in the desert until it was time to head to the mountains again- just couldn't stand any more of the flat road riding....So much for thinking I had enough. Truth is....we need the changes to keep us happy! It's green again in the mountains...the air so very different! I do miss the indigenous people though... In the mountains in Peru or Bolivia- there were the original people....just seeing them made me feel ok - they were part of the mountains, part of the land and all is OK: rounding "the corner" and one would sit there - often a woman in her colorful clothes, herding her sheep. Or there would be Vicuñas grazing - even in high altitudes there was life in these familiar forms - especially "four- month- familiar". Making eye contact with another human being, knowing I can survive because they do....
Spanish was often not the language they spoke, but the connection was there! Nobody roams in the mountains of Argentina and Chile like that, unless they are tourists and/or guides. I do enjoy blending in, but I miss my Incas and all the other much older original people of the Andes...sigh....
So glad I got to experience those countries in such extremes!
I am trying to find the name of the pass, but it's not working....don't know it, can't find it...We turned left on some road - off of route 40 which would turn into dirt further south and more remote desert riding - heading to Chile was the more "sane" option with paved roads and gentle, scenic climbing. Sounds crazy to climb another pass after all the climbing we have done....but it isn't! The Andes here are different yet again! The pass over 3000m, but we didn't feel a thing...not even short of breath! On Christmas Eve day we left the little town of Uspallata and the road led us more up and down than just straight up- climbing all the while. The winds were on "our side" still towards the second part of the day and somehow and somewhere it just cold bloodily switched on us and made us stand still pedaling......time to quite - call it "a day"...past some ski resorts -which were closed down for the summer -we got to a little town called "Puente del Inca". Some traces of Inca existence, but no Incas:
Howling winds - we found a little corner behind some buildings and set up camp
- Christmas Eve and the town was ghostly... One nice man came up and said we could have some dinner in his "restaurant". So, we had a beef sandwich (Lomo) and watched a little bit of a James Bond movie on the big screen TV. Out of the wind the night was rest- and peaceful.
We had our Christmas breakfast in front of a closed bar in wine barrel seats -wasn't bad at all - we had plenty of fruit and yoghurt, made tea and had some chocolate.
James had surprised me with some gifts the night before (in Germany we give gifts on Christmas Eve): he had bought me a real rain jacket when he was in the States just recently and an orange camping bowl to eat soups and cereals - beside the two chocolate bars and the one pound chocolate giant thing from TJ's! Gosh darn it, sure made my day and the next days to come....
Good weather was with us all the time and when we hit the top of the mountain we were taxied through the five km long tunnel to the other side and into Chile.
From there it was just down, down, down....switching our way into much warmer air (though it really wasn't that cold up at 3200m.)
Much, much further down - after descending 1600m a road sign to Santiago...a shortcut we figured and we took it.
Climbing again I thought we made a mistake - the road looked pretty desolate, deserty...the end of the day and not much water brings back stressful memories.....BUT, after 20 month on the road I have learned to just let it be...something will come up and if it doesn't something else will come up....all is good!
Sure enough: a descend and vineyards all around...green and pleasant, except the wind picked up and we couldn't go any further....BUT, there was a restaurant with nice, flat, green surroundings...looked closed but who cares....there was a car or maybe two in the parking lot. We asked the question about camping, earned ourselves a few puzzled- maybe skeptical looks and then we were invited into the house - fancy, big, huge restaurant with plenty left over cakes and desserts. We found ourselves sitting with the host and hostess drinking cafe, making conversation and being invited to spend the night in between tables and chairs - had the whole place for ourselves. After those two left we build our nest and explored the premises - finding an ice cream bar and had a taste or two from the different flavors. Living the unexpected - an addiction all in itself!
