It was great to be off the flat pampa and into the foothills of the Andes. I stuck to the small provincial roads without traffic, winding their way through tiny villages, which from 1.00p.m look like there has been an attack of chemical weapons, with dusty deserted streets as the population has its 3 hour siesta. Nothing is open besides service stations between these times luckily they all sell proper espresso coffee. The prices are so much cheaper than in Patagonia and the major cities and i think the ambience more pleasant.
The lack of wind, blue skies and the relaxed pace is helping me recover some energy. My aim was to skirt around Cordoba city but as you would have it i somehow ended up in heavy traffic going to the centre, then it was back and forth until i found an escape route west in roughly the direction of the town i wanted . The road finally started to climb and the tempratures went down considerably, but what a road. It climbed though a jumble of rocks stacked up, some teetering seemingly ready to salle forth onto the road. The huge storm several days ago leaving its mark in the area with lots of wash aways and sand covering stretches of road. It was magical up above the treeline with views either side of the range to the fertile valleys below. Hairpin bend after hairpin bend taking the road to the altiplano around the 2500 metre level. There was not a soul about just the sound of the light breeze whistling around me and Herbert. The road eventually started its steep descent, waterfalls after the rain springing to life, gullies crossing the road with a little water still remaining and the magnificent condors riding the thermals up above me. I stopped and watched a pair soaring above me in and out of the valley, this is the eastern most habitat of the Condor. It was great to see them without crowds pushing to take photos and chattering away.
Late afternoon i reached a town called Mina Clavera where one tourist and two kids on trail bikes were washed away by the ensuing torrent after the rain. Its a neat town with dusty dirt streets but surrounded by the mountains giving it a glow in the afternoon light. The next day a short ride to Merlo at the foot of the mountains about 150 kms south, once again a great ride without traffic through small towns joined by a great dirt road which was smooth and could be ridden at 60 km per hour without shaking poor Herbert to pieces. I think this is where the grape variety came from, Merlot as we know it is the speciality of Argentina. Next stage is onto the wine areas and then back into the high Andes for the crossing to Chile, with storms forecast i will have to time my movements, with what certainty i will find out.
I decided to stay in Merlo for an extra night, that night it poured in the mountains and by the morning the water was racing down the steep streets. I headed off in light drizzle but by the time i had reached San Luis it was boiling hot. Volcanoes lined up in rows to the west, i am not sure if they are still active as they looked old and eroded. Instead of staying in San Luis i made for the hills north and found a tiny village on a river which was peace personified, except for the bloody dogs. I parked the bike and did some of my regular maintenance on Herbert then sat and contemplated on the banks of the river till dark. The next day was a dull ride through flat country to Mendoza. Cloud shrouding the mountains in the west until about 30 kms from Mendoza, i was then able to make out the outline of the Andes. Mendoza is a neat town with broad treelined avenues, lots of parks and squares and easily navigated. 2 days here then onto the wine areas south and then into the Andes for the 3800 metre pass to Chile hopefully Herbert wont play up i havent told him yet.
The exit from Mendoza was straight forward its only taken me all this time to get my city exits right. I headed for Maipu south of the city for the Bodegas to try some wine. Its a relatively flat area and hot at this time of the year. I had emailed the bike shipper at Villa Kunterbrunt and that night i got a return email saying i should try to get in as early as possible. This decided i headed north again to get to the pass. I spent the night in a town 80 kms from the border. The ride was amazing through a steep valley the Andes towering above either side, the air cool making the ride a pleasure. The pass just topping the 3000 metre mark actually posed no problems, some of the map information is very inacurate. The frontier was straight forward and within 30 minutes i had my bike stamped out of Argentina and back into Chile. I thought the Argentine side was spectacular but the Chilean side was amazing. Riding with a river roaring away beside the road and S after S as the road snaked its way down to the valley floor and the town of Los Andes. It then got hot again and the wind picked up, blowing me all over the road just as a final reminder. Vineyards spread either side of the road flanked by the snow clad Andes was a wonderful sight for my last bike riding day. As the Andes dissapeared from my rear view mirrors i started to feel a bit of sadness it was just about over, it seemed like i had started a lifetime ago. I rode over the coasal range into Vina Del Mar then followed the road to Valparaiso. Once again i got lost, it no longer stressed me out, being lost in a city held no fears for me. I stopped and asked a Carabinieri, he firstly gave me security advice that i shouldnt be where i was and then a final police escort to my destination. All that was left now was to send Herbert home and get myself on the plane. Firstly i had to crate and do the formalities hopefully straight forward but if not i can deal with it.
