The ride up and over the range that protects Saltas`western edge was a real reality check after having been riding without a load on around town for the last week.Once negotiated though it was all downhill for about 40k(25miles) until I hit the highway that would take me north and into the town of Ju Juy.There was more than one problem with the long trip downhill.The cities of Salta and Ju Juy are at about the same altitude and so in this case whatever(or whoever)goes down must come back up again and I had a long gradual climb for the remaining 80k(50miles) to look forward to.The other problem was the cold.I was going so fast that my fingers were screaming in pain(with gloves on).Every time I had to change gears it was like a knife was cutting my fingerprint off.A nice cup of coffee at the highway intersection sorted that out and after giving the now customary speech to the assembled motorists I was on the road again with yet another tailwind to help me on my way.
I will admit I did look quite the sight as I rolled into the petrol station so it was no wonder that I had the attention of everyone there.You see as a result of the problem with my trailer hitch I decided to ease the load on my frame by buying a backpack in Salta.I transferred about 10-15 kilos(22-33 pounds) of gear from my trailer and was now carrying it on my back.I also bought some overboots to keep my feet warm.I had to return the neoprene ones I was using to Curtis when we split and as they didn`t sell any in Salta so I had to buy a pair of Bianci green lycra time trial boots.They do the job but I look like a wanker!So there I am in my black long sleeve top, black tights,black gloves,orange sunglasses,wanker boots carrying a backback with a black rain cover over it.All I needed was some black boot polish on my face and I was ready for deployment.I think the girl behind the counter was worried that I was a lost British Marine who hadn`t got the memo that the Falklands War was over.
After a brief photo session with the gas station paparrazzi I was off one what for the most part was a very uneventful day on the road.It was great to be out riding again and I was very happy that I had decided to take the long way around to Ju Juy.There is a shorter route of only 90k(56miles)but on my tour up north the previous week we had driven that road and although it was very beautiful I figured today was not the day to ride it.The road climbed and snaked its`way around a mountain range that was serious rainforest country.It reminded me very much of riding the hills behind my home town of Cairns in Australia.Looking over to the west as I rode I could see that it was raining very heavily over there and that I had dodged a bullet by decideing to ride the extra 30k(18miles).
It was those last 30k that was my undoing.Without realising, I had not eaten enough during the morning and was starting to suffer really badly.I stopped a few times and tried to eat some raw oats that I was carrying but they did little to stop the enevitable bonk(about the only bonking I ever get to do!).After one particularly long stop to wait for my headspins to subside I came across an accident on the road.It seems that ta large truck had tipped over somehow and had spilled it's load everywhere.That was bad for the driver(who was nowhere to be seen) but great for me as the load was salvation in the form of a literal truckload of tomatoes.I got off my bike and just dropped it where I stood before getting down on bended knee to gorge myself with this precious fruit.It seemed like a good idea at the time but it made no difference to how my body felt-I was totally depleted.The last 10k(6miles)was a nightmare and I swear I could feel my body start to eat away at my muscles.I struggled into town and found my hostel.They two guys at the desk must have figured something wasn`t right and after laughing at my wanker boots,carried my trailer and bike into the hostel for me.I was directed straight into the kitchen and there before my eyes was a huge pot of thick, rice and vegetable soup with my name on it.Bliss!!!Seems these guys had just cooked up a storm and this was the leftovers.Best damn soup I ever had!
So there I was in a new city to check out and new friends to hang with.Ju Juy is the capital of Ju Juy province and as the poorest province in Argentina has little of the polished glitz that I had seen in Salta.The mountains surrounding the town however,left me with no illusions that things were going to get any easier on the road from now on.The next town is 80k(50miles) away but is 2461meters high compared with Ju Juys`1259meters..The town after that is another 40k(25miles)further north at 2936meters.I plan to stop there for a couple of days to recover from the huge elevation gain and acclimatise by riding around the canyons that are the feature of the district.
First things first though,I had to find myself an outdoor store and buy a camp stove.Building fires in Argentina is one thing but finding wood on this high Bolivian plains would be a different story.I would be away from much human contact for a few days at a time once in Bolivia and so set about organising my supplies.I figured I would need to carry a weeks worth of food to be safe and could stretch that out if need be.Water,I was told contrary to poular opinion,would not be a problem as the route I was taking wasn`t as desolate and dry as the routes through the salt plains to the west.We shall see!
With that sorted I spent a couple of nigts exploring the city and even managed a trip to the second nightclub of my journey.I went with the two guys that run the hostel and three of girls that were staying there.They are all great people and were all kinds of fun to be around.The nightclub which was on the outskirts of the city,however, left a little to be desired.I felt like I was back in some of the seedy Asian clubs I had been in during my mid to late teens while living in Hong Kong.One thing though, if any of you were wondering where all the mirror balls in the world went to when disco died,I have found them.They are all hanging from the roof of the Kolor Nightclub in Ju Juy,Argentina.Very weird!
I escaped the club relatively unscathed and went home only to wake up with the start of a cold.Not too good if you want to climb the Andes.I was a bit worried and tried to feed myself healthy.One of the girls from the hostel was obsessed about eating at a restaurant on the next corner but every time she tried it was closed. I asked what was so special about that place and she said they serve llama steaks and that they were a specialty of the area.Well now ,that`s one cute furry animal I haven`t had on a plate in front of me before so I was in.We tried one more time and victory was ours.A couple of very tender llama steaks later accompanied by fries covered in cheese and a liter of the local dark beer and I was a happy camper.I was carbo loading you must understand so don`t get all nutritionally correct on me.With that I packed all my gear and made ready for an early morning departure.
No such luck,folks`.I now have a cold and my head is stuffed up(no jokes please)my throat is raw and my joints ache.Llama Karma I reckon!!!So for now my trip has stalled and I`m in Ju Juy `til the flu clears up.I`ll try to get into some trouble so I have something to write about while I`m here.Then again,I think I`ll jst go back to bed.
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I will admit I did look quite the sight as I rolled into the petrol station so it was no wonder that I had the attention of everyone there.You see as a result of the problem with my trailer hitch I decided to ease the load on my frame by buying a backpack in Salta.I transferred about 10-15 kilos(22-33 pounds) of gear from my trailer and was now carrying it on my back.I also bought some overboots to keep my feet warm.I had to return the neoprene ones I was using to Curtis when we split and as they didn`t sell any in Salta so I had to buy a pair of Bianci green lycra time trial boots.They do the job but I look like a wanker!So there I am in my black long sleeve top, black tights,black gloves,orange sunglasses,wanker boots carrying a backback with a black rain cover over it.All I needed was some black boot polish on my face and I was ready for deployment.I think the girl behind the counter was worried that I was a lost British Marine who hadn`t got the memo that the Falklands War was over.
After a brief photo session with the gas station paparrazzi I was off one what for the most part was a very uneventful day on the road.It was great to be out riding again and I was very happy that I had decided to take the long way around to Ju Juy.There is a shorter route of only 90k(56miles)but on my tour up north the previous week we had driven that road and although it was very beautiful I figured today was not the day to ride it.The road climbed and snaked its`way around a mountain range that was serious rainforest country.It reminded me very much of riding the hills behind my home town of Cairns in Australia.Looking over to the west as I rode I could see that it was raining very heavily over there and that I had dodged a bullet by decideing to ride the extra 30k(18miles).
It was those last 30k that was my undoing.Without realising, I had not eaten enough during the morning and was starting to suffer really badly.I stopped a few times and tried to eat some raw oats that I was carrying but they did little to stop the enevitable bonk(about the only bonking I ever get to do!).After one particularly long stop to wait for my headspins to subside I came across an accident on the road.It seems that ta large truck had tipped over somehow and had spilled it's load everywhere.That was bad for the driver(who was nowhere to be seen) but great for me as the load was salvation in the form of a literal truckload of tomatoes.I got off my bike and just dropped it where I stood before getting down on bended knee to gorge myself with this precious fruit.It seemed like a good idea at the time but it made no difference to how my body felt-I was totally depleted.The last 10k(6miles)was a nightmare and I swear I could feel my body start to eat away at my muscles.I struggled into town and found my hostel.They two guys at the desk must have figured something wasn`t right and after laughing at my wanker boots,carried my trailer and bike into the hostel for me.I was directed straight into the kitchen and there before my eyes was a huge pot of thick, rice and vegetable soup with my name on it.Bliss!!!Seems these guys had just cooked up a storm and this was the leftovers.Best damn soup I ever had!
So there I was in a new city to check out and new friends to hang with.Ju Juy is the capital of Ju Juy province and as the poorest province in Argentina has little of the polished glitz that I had seen in Salta.The mountains surrounding the town however,left me with no illusions that things were going to get any easier on the road from now on.The next town is 80k(50miles) away but is 2461meters high compared with Ju Juys`1259meters..The town after that is another 40k(25miles)further north at 2936meters.I plan to stop there for a couple of days to recover from the huge elevation gain and acclimatise by riding around the canyons that are the feature of the district.
First things first though,I had to find myself an outdoor store and buy a camp stove.Building fires in Argentina is one thing but finding wood on this high Bolivian plains would be a different story.I would be away from much human contact for a few days at a time once in Bolivia and so set about organising my supplies.I figured I would need to carry a weeks worth of food to be safe and could stretch that out if need be.Water,I was told contrary to poular opinion,would not be a problem as the route I was taking wasn`t as desolate and dry as the routes through the salt plains to the west.We shall see!
With that sorted I spent a couple of nigts exploring the city and even managed a trip to the second nightclub of my journey.I went with the two guys that run the hostel and three of girls that were staying there.They are all great people and were all kinds of fun to be around.The nightclub which was on the outskirts of the city,however, left a little to be desired.I felt like I was back in some of the seedy Asian clubs I had been in during my mid to late teens while living in Hong Kong.One thing though, if any of you were wondering where all the mirror balls in the world went to when disco died,I have found them.They are all hanging from the roof of the Kolor Nightclub in Ju Juy,Argentina.Very weird!
I escaped the club relatively unscathed and went home only to wake up with the start of a cold.Not too good if you want to climb the Andes.I was a bit worried and tried to feed myself healthy.One of the girls from the hostel was obsessed about eating at a restaurant on the next corner but every time she tried it was closed. I asked what was so special about that place and she said they serve llama steaks and that they were a specialty of the area.Well now ,that`s one cute furry animal I haven`t had on a plate in front of me before so I was in.We tried one more time and victory was ours.A couple of very tender llama steaks later accompanied by fries covered in cheese and a liter of the local dark beer and I was a happy camper.I was carbo loading you must understand so don`t get all nutritionally correct on me.With that I packed all my gear and made ready for an early morning departure.
No such luck,folks`.I now have a cold and my head is stuffed up(no jokes please)my throat is raw and my joints ache.Llama Karma I reckon!!!So for now my trip has stalled and I`m in Ju Juy `til the flu clears up.I`ll try to get into some trouble so I have something to write about while I`m here.Then again,I think I`ll jst go back to bed.
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