for those who know me as a generally happy young bunny, it won´t
be too much of a surprise to find that i´ve bounced back from my
recent melancholy with as much energy as before. i´m convinced that there´s
nothing as invigorating and uplifting as (1) friendship, and (2) doing
what you love. for me, a combination of hearing from friends via email,
making new connections in Salta (the Argentine province where i am
now), and setting off on more exciting travels/experiences has given me
a new lust for life.
in february of this year, i met peter, a cyclist from holland, in
Río Grande (south of argentina). we didn´t actually spend that much
time together back then, but after a couple of conversations, i
remember leaving that campsite the next day with a warm fuzzy feeling,
knowing that i probably wouldn´t see him again, but quite content in
knowing that there are still genuinely good people ´out there´.
however, by complete coincidence, we found ourselves both in the
province of Salta a week ago. now, i´ve always wanted to experiment
with travel-cycling, and up until now, have never done it because i
haven´t got a bike with me. but really, that´s just an excuse - the
truth is, i was too chicken to do it by myself. but after a couple of
hours´ catching up with peter, and comparing what we wanted to see in
the area, he convinced me to cycle instead of walk the route that i was
planning to do (in case you don´t remember, the photo at
http://www.camdipsalta.gov.ar/INFSALTA/cuesta.htm was what caught my attention a few weeks ago, and
http://www.camdipsalta.gov.ar/INFSALTA/circuito1.htm shows
the circuit that we´re currently doing). for me, it was quite a
spur-of-the-moment decision, and within a day, i had a borrowed bike
(with problems with the rear brake, and only 4 functioning gears - more
if you changed the chain manually), and nothing more than
sheer enthusiasm to drive me (naive enthusiasm, but enthusiasm
nonetheless!).
in the same way that i see longterm travelling as different from
your standard backpacking trip (ie, making it a self-sustainable
lifestyle as opposed to just ´being on holidays´), there´s also a
difference between a traveller who uses a bike as his means of
transport, and a cyclist who uses travelling as a way to get road to
cycle on. peter is the latter. i´m only experimenting with the former.
and when i´m not huffing and puffing away at relatively mild climbs, i
find it quite amusing how sore and tired i get while he cruises along,
maintaining his general good cheer. the highest point we climbed to was
3348masl, and i´d only be slightly exaggerating if i said that i felt
completely hammered at the end of that day. think about it, australia´s
highest point, Mt Kosciuszko, is at 2228masl! (see peter?, i can
remember things if i want to!)
after so much time in the south, and with the glacial front that
swept most of the southern hemisphere (yes! just like in australia, we
also experienced snow in unusual areas, such as Buenos Aires for the
first time since 1918, and Córdoba for the first time in 32 years),
it´s so good to be in the north of argentina, in the sun and warmth
again. although the nights can reach sub-zero (-10degrees at that
highest point that i mentioned), we have glorious sunshine each day,
and there *are* some warmer nights. where possible, i´ve been
delighting in washing myself just as the sun goes down, or bathing in
cold rivers by the light of the moon and stars. being so far away from
big-city lights means that i have the entire milky way to myself, and
it´s quite breathtaking to see shooting stars as i´m drying myself
after a quick scamper in the water.
of course, as always, it´s also the personal contact that i
cherish most. even though i´m proud to say that my privates no longer
hurt when we´re bumping along washboard dirt roads, or that after a
week, i´m finding it easier to be on the road for 5 or 6 hours without
being totally exhausted, it´s definitely the time spent with peter, and
other people along the road that makes this such a fun
side-trip. although all up, peter and i won´t be spending more than 2
weeks travelling together, this doesn´t mean that we haven´t had a lot
of fun together. his accent means that my addiction to ice cream has
turned into an addiction for arse cream; his constant farts have lent a
whole new meaning to dutch ovens (thank god his tent has *some*
ventilation, even if it´s often not sufficient..); and his devotion to
his girlfriend combined with my strict values r.e. fidelity means that
we´re constantly proposing idiotic ideas, such as ´is it considered
cheating if you stick an enlarged photo of francisca (the girlfriend)
on your face and we have sex?´
but apart from such fun moments as theorising that the word ´scat´
or ´scatology´ in english is probably etymologically related to
´schaeten´ (´fart´) in dutch, we´ve also shared more meaningful
moments. just as in Río Grande so many months ago, i´m sure
that although it will be probably be a long time before i see him again
(if at all) after we split up next week, i can leave content in the
knowledge that a good friend is out there making this world a better
place.
(why do all these entries turn into such sentimental sop at the end? time to end here, i think... ´til next time!)
(for more photos: 'salta' photo gallery)
