My plans for a great day on the road were delt a blow when I awoke the next morning to find my flu had returned.It had moved to my chest so I couldn`t breathe that well and I was coughing up parts of my lungs at regular intervals.I figured part of it must have been the increase in altitude so I figured if I took it really easy I could make it to the town of Humahuaca some 67k(41miles)away.I had also discovered upon looking in a mirror(somthing that scares me at the best of times)that I had received a really nasty sunburn from the efforts of the day before.This, I knew was because of the altitude and had to resort to wearing a surgical mask to protect my swollen bottom lip.I had bought four masks in preparation for the dust that I would encounter as soon as the pavement ran out and was glad to bring one of them into service early.
The easy 3.5k(2mile)downhill run to the highway was the only fun cycling that was to be had that day.As soon as I hit the highway north again I was hit with the most brutal of headwinds.Add to that my weak,flu induced, condition and the ever increasing altitude and it was literally an uphill battle from minute one.My first rest for the day came after 20 minutes,my second another 20minutes later and during my third rest about ten minutes later,my lungs packed it in and started protesting loudly.If you are going to have a major coughing fit it may as well be in a really pretty spot.I gave in to my lungs request and sat down enjoying the view for about an hour.
I figure the first 10k(6miles) took me about two and a half hours but I can`t be sure as I lost my watch somewhere along the line.I was absolutely bummed about that `cause even though it was a beat up old Ironman watch it had been given to me as a birthday present from my old mate Dave Bullock in Penticton, so there was some sentimental attachments there.I tried again to get going only to pull over and lay down for another rest about 5k(3miles) down the road.I was quite happy to lay there for a long time but the sun bleached skulls of the cattle that most likely had the same idea, kind of scared me off my lazy butt and back onto the road.I decided that my day would end in the town of Tilcara,a place I had been to before on my tour three weeks previous.The thing was though, Tilcara was only 22k(13miles)from where I joined the highway that morning and it took me nearly five bloody hours to get there.How sad.Still I did manage to climb another 250 meters so that was okay. I qiuckly found myself a nice hostel and after a cleansing shower headed off to get some food and a strong coffee.That soon did the trick and even though I was still coughing lots I did feel better and managed a tour of the town.
The towns that dot the northern Argentinian landscape are mainly inhabited by the local Quechan Indians ,who closely resemble thier ancient cousins in Bolivia to the north,more than they do the rest of the Agrentine population.The towns as well, differ greatly.The buildings are made of the traditional adobe mud bricks and these old mud masterpieces line tiny cobbled streets with barely enough room to swing the proverbial cat, let alone allow the flow of traffic.Tilcara is a classic example albeit a touristy one.This little town is undergoing a pretty major facelift and inside the newly renovated mud buildings are cute little cafes,antique stores,gift shops and even the odd office or two.I found many quaint courtyards containing little fountains surrounded by manicured gardens, all with piped music being enjoyed by young, Agrgie yuppies visiting the natives for a day or two.
All this was a bit much for me and as I had already seem the "Fortress," a restored archeological dig which dominates the hill overlooking town ,I decided to get some sleep.I strolled off through the dark,quiet streets back to my hostle and hit my pillow hard.I had been a tough day and I prayed that tomorrow would bring some relief from my flu.
I woke up feeling very congested after a deep 12 hour sleep and prepared for another attempt at reaching Humahuaca,now only a marathons run away.I figured I could make the 42k(26miles) by lunch and after a quick breakfast headed out on the highway for the next installment of my little sufferfest.Today I would climb another 500 meters to 3000meters above sea level(10,000feet) and would stay in Humahuaca for a couple of days to acclimatize and hopefully get rid of this flu.From the start of the days ride I felt better and with a little attitude adjustment(go slowly tri-geek)was soon clicking off the miles, soaking in the absolutely amazing scenery that passed before me.I felt really good and the few rest stops that I had were just pure indulgence.My long stop for the morning was spent with a friendly herd of goats(no, I´m not a New Zealander) who stood bemused as I made myself a snack and sat amoung a cactus grove looking down at a silver strip of water that is the Rio Grande in the valley below.It was a very peacefull place until one of the goats,who must have smelt food,tried to eat his way through the bag on my trailer.Little bugger! Thinking that I may soon have a goat uprising on my hands I decided that a quiet retreat was in order and peddled off towards Humahuaca.Come to think of it a couple of those goats were pretty cute!
Reaching Humahuaca before lunch lifted my spirits no end and it was a joy to reach my hostel and be able to unpack all my stuff, knowing that I would be here a few days.The area surrounding this town just looked like a mountain-bikers heaven and I couldn`t wait to explore all the dirt roads and trails that I could see snaking thier way over the high ridges to who knows where. First things first though,shower and food!
The hostel stood high above the town and was made up of several small adobe bungalows surrounding a central cafe/living area.It was very nice and I soon met some of the other guests as they were going about the business of being tourists.A interesting Aussie couple, who have been travelling for the best part of twenty five years, couldn`t believe another Aussie was cycling around Argentina.Surely we Aussies were more suited to drinking beer than to pedalling around for weeks on end they enquired.I assured them that I was indeed near the top of my age group at both pursuits and that each endeavour more than handily complemented the other(as many of you know).With the ground rules of my stay established I set about to explore downtown Humahuaca all four square blocks of it.
The easy 3.5k(2mile)downhill run to the highway was the only fun cycling that was to be had that day.As soon as I hit the highway north again I was hit with the most brutal of headwinds.Add to that my weak,flu induced, condition and the ever increasing altitude and it was literally an uphill battle from minute one.My first rest for the day came after 20 minutes,my second another 20minutes later and during my third rest about ten minutes later,my lungs packed it in and started protesting loudly.If you are going to have a major coughing fit it may as well be in a really pretty spot.I gave in to my lungs request and sat down enjoying the view for about an hour.
I figure the first 10k(6miles) took me about two and a half hours but I can`t be sure as I lost my watch somewhere along the line.I was absolutely bummed about that `cause even though it was a beat up old Ironman watch it had been given to me as a birthday present from my old mate Dave Bullock in Penticton, so there was some sentimental attachments there.I tried again to get going only to pull over and lay down for another rest about 5k(3miles) down the road.I was quite happy to lay there for a long time but the sun bleached skulls of the cattle that most likely had the same idea, kind of scared me off my lazy butt and back onto the road.I decided that my day would end in the town of Tilcara,a place I had been to before on my tour three weeks previous.The thing was though, Tilcara was only 22k(13miles)from where I joined the highway that morning and it took me nearly five bloody hours to get there.How sad.Still I did manage to climb another 250 meters so that was okay. I qiuckly found myself a nice hostel and after a cleansing shower headed off to get some food and a strong coffee.That soon did the trick and even though I was still coughing lots I did feel better and managed a tour of the town.
The towns that dot the northern Argentinian landscape are mainly inhabited by the local Quechan Indians ,who closely resemble thier ancient cousins in Bolivia to the north,more than they do the rest of the Agrentine population.The towns as well, differ greatly.The buildings are made of the traditional adobe mud bricks and these old mud masterpieces line tiny cobbled streets with barely enough room to swing the proverbial cat, let alone allow the flow of traffic.Tilcara is a classic example albeit a touristy one.This little town is undergoing a pretty major facelift and inside the newly renovated mud buildings are cute little cafes,antique stores,gift shops and even the odd office or two.I found many quaint courtyards containing little fountains surrounded by manicured gardens, all with piped music being enjoyed by young, Agrgie yuppies visiting the natives for a day or two.
All this was a bit much for me and as I had already seem the "Fortress," a restored archeological dig which dominates the hill overlooking town ,I decided to get some sleep.I strolled off through the dark,quiet streets back to my hostle and hit my pillow hard.I had been a tough day and I prayed that tomorrow would bring some relief from my flu.
I woke up feeling very congested after a deep 12 hour sleep and prepared for another attempt at reaching Humahuaca,now only a marathons run away.I figured I could make the 42k(26miles) by lunch and after a quick breakfast headed out on the highway for the next installment of my little sufferfest.Today I would climb another 500 meters to 3000meters above sea level(10,000feet) and would stay in Humahuaca for a couple of days to acclimatize and hopefully get rid of this flu.From the start of the days ride I felt better and with a little attitude adjustment(go slowly tri-geek)was soon clicking off the miles, soaking in the absolutely amazing scenery that passed before me.I felt really good and the few rest stops that I had were just pure indulgence.My long stop for the morning was spent with a friendly herd of goats(no, I´m not a New Zealander) who stood bemused as I made myself a snack and sat amoung a cactus grove looking down at a silver strip of water that is the Rio Grande in the valley below.It was a very peacefull place until one of the goats,who must have smelt food,tried to eat his way through the bag on my trailer.Little bugger! Thinking that I may soon have a goat uprising on my hands I decided that a quiet retreat was in order and peddled off towards Humahuaca.Come to think of it a couple of those goats were pretty cute!
Reaching Humahuaca before lunch lifted my spirits no end and it was a joy to reach my hostel and be able to unpack all my stuff, knowing that I would be here a few days.The area surrounding this town just looked like a mountain-bikers heaven and I couldn`t wait to explore all the dirt roads and trails that I could see snaking thier way over the high ridges to who knows where. First things first though,shower and food!
The hostel stood high above the town and was made up of several small adobe bungalows surrounding a central cafe/living area.It was very nice and I soon met some of the other guests as they were going about the business of being tourists.A interesting Aussie couple, who have been travelling for the best part of twenty five years, couldn`t believe another Aussie was cycling around Argentina.Surely we Aussies were more suited to drinking beer than to pedalling around for weeks on end they enquired.I assured them that I was indeed near the top of my age group at both pursuits and that each endeavour more than handily complemented the other(as many of you know).With the ground rules of my stay established I set about to explore downtown Humahuaca all four square blocks of it.
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