Rest Day - Mendoza

I'm quickly coming to the conclusion / realisation, that I need a certain amount of time, alone where I'm left to my own devices.... and so having spoken to no one from the peleton or what have you yesterday or for the bulk of today, has done me a world of good!

Sure the consumption of some of Mendoza's finest product, wine, has helped, but being able to do my own thing, whether it be window shopping, exploring some of the sights & sounds of the city or simply stopping for a coffee, wine or bite to eat, where I like / when I like has helped put a bit of spring in my step.....

Sure I'm likely to whinge from time to time, between here and Ushuaia given that there's unlikely to be much change within the group as far as attitudes, behaviour or pleasantries are concerned, but that's life! Besides, I suspect I have a genetic predisposition to whinge! I mean it is undoubtedly part of my father's English heritage coming out in me. 

Then again, I wouldn't be such a mad keen cyclist if it wasn't for him, and his recounting stories of having ridden all over Britain and Western Europe with his mate, for weeks at a time in the fifties & sixties....

So what did I do today I hear you ask, well.... I once again strolled into the centre of town initially because I was contemplating the idea of purchasing a local SIM card for my phone, but also because I wanted to buy a coffee and soak up the sun's rays in the park!

From there, I then headed towards General San Martín Park, which is located in the city's outskirts. It hosts not only a botanical garden, but also a velodrome, a football stadium (built for the 1978 World Cup) and a zoo.

From what I can gather the name of the park is associated with the Argentinian General of the same name, who was a key contributor in the South America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire.

To the extent in fact that there's a huge memorial monument in the middle of the park, a top a small hill, referred to as Cerro de la Gloria (Glory Hill) which is dedicated to the Army of the Andes. 

Having spent a couple of hours sauntering through the park, I then decided to head back into town - time for another coffee - before returning to my hotel for a swim in the pool, to pack my bags, ensure that anything & everything that needed charging was charged and then head out to dinner. In doing so, I came across this delightful scene - then again, I am a bit of a sucker when it comes to Jacaranda trees! 

With batteries recharged literally & figuratively speaking, I headed out to dinner. I have to say I was spoilt for choice as far as restaurants were concerned and the staff at the hotel certainly put me on track by suggesting I take a visit to anyone of the places located in nearby Av Villanueva Arístides. 

Of course, I opted for a steak, with a salad and a couple of beers.... It'd be rude not too!

Rest Day - Mendoza

Whilst last night a lot of people decided to stay in the campsite located some 10 to !5 kilometres out of town, being that it's a major city, I decided, as did many others, to take a break from the group and retire to our own hotels or what have you.....

I've got to say it's a decision I'm not regretting..... Rather than retiring to my tent, I jumped into a taxi and checked into a small Bohemian Boutique Hotel fairly close to the centre of town. As a result rather than an air mattress and sleeping bed I went to sleep on....  A bed, a room on my own for two nights - What luxury!

With time being a little short, there's so many things one needs to do on "Rest Days", such as ensuring one's laundry is done, checking that one's finances are in order though maybe that's something that's unique to me being a bean-counter) and so on I decided to get onto that first thing this morning, so that I could then spend the rest of my time in Mendoza taking in the sights, enjoying some of their wonderful wines and so on.... 

So as a result once I'd attended to these chores, I decided to get an idea of what the city was like, by getting aboard the Jump-On, Jump-Off Tourist Bus and I have to say, whilst it wasn't bad it was a little disappointing.... Sure it gave me a bit of an idea as to where I'd need to come back in order to grab some decent photos, for many of the stops, a five or ten minute stop visit would have sufficed rather than having to wait another hour for the next bus to do the circuit. 

As a result, my photos of Mendoza aren't perhaps as comprehensive as I'd perhaps like but I did get a fair bit of hiking in, having identified a couple of places I wanted to revisit by the time we'd done a complete circuit and then trudged there by foot to them rather than waiting to do another loop on the bus. Maybe I would have done it differently if I was in town a bit longer, but......

All in all, I have had a good day. I enjoyed taking in some of the city's sights (there are certain obligations as Captain of Team Tourist) and also had a couple of good meals. I have to say I am feeling so much calmer and more relaxed now than I was several days ago!

Uspallata to Mendoza

T'was brilliant - I think that's all I've got to say about today's ride!

The above photos, all taken on the descent into Mendoza, Argentina were all taken on a road known locally as "The Way of 365 Curves" and I've got to say, I think it was one of the most enjoyable, photographic and scenic roads I have ever ridden anywhere. 

What's more is that even though it's got more corners than the Stelvio in Italy, I managed to ride the 1000 metres up it, and more importantly the 2000 metres down without incident or requiring aerial support.

Bareal to Uspallata

With my elbow still aching like there's no tomorrow, from yesterday's ride, I decided given that there was to be a fair amount of unpaved road to be ridden today, that I'd not aggravate the situation by riding. 

Essentially and I'm only guessing, but riding in sand or on a washboard surface seems to inflame the muscles and tendons around the plates in my arm, causing a bit of pain that only time seems to heal. 

Whilst some people would say - Suck It Up Princess - or may call me a bit of a wimp for opting out, I don't care, as far as I'm concerned I'm on a holiday not an endurance test.

The first fifty odd kilometres were on a lovely brand new asphalt road, with no traffic and the wind blowing in a favourable direction (a tailwind pushing you along), where apparently some of the chaps managed to average 40-45 Km/h till suddenly it turned to a gravel. 

Seriously the contrast between the two surfaces couldn't be bigger if you tried. There's obviously a different council that funds one end from the one that looks after the other.... 

Either way I'm glad I didn't ride today, irrespective of what others may think and hopefully it means that I should be able to ride tomorrow given that it's supposed to be a spectacular climb / descent into Mendoza.

Tocota to Barreal

Whilst some people got a great deal of enjoyment out of this morning's ride for me it was a bloody torturous hell. I mean a 55 kilometre downhill sounds easy and should be enjoyable right? Well it wasn't. I hated every (well nearly every) dammed moment of it cause it was all unpaved and had more sand on it than is found on any beach in Australia. Seriously there were sand traps galore and as I may have uttered previously (just thank your lucky stars you weren't there to hear the cursing), I struggle with the sand.

As a result by the time I got to the lunch stop, I'd had enough of riding, the weather had begun to get hot (thirties) and as a result it really wasn't hard for me to opt for jumping on the lunch truck (it's become a bit of a habit) for the rest of the journey to our campsite!

San Jose de Jachal to Tocota

The decision last night to only ride to lunch time today was probably one of the best decisions I have / could have made, given that whilst the morning's ride was some 85 kilometres on a paved road through some glorious scenery, the final 35 -40 kilometres was uphill (only a two or three per cent gradient) but on a rough gravel and sandy road (goat track) that had even the strongest of riders apparently swearing and cursing because it was so dammed difficult to ride in the sweltering heat of the day. More than one or two riders were borderline suffering from heat exhaustion, there being nowhere on the road after the lunch stop for them to pick up water.

Being on the truck however meant that I was able to visit some rather special / unique rock formations, that as a cyclist I would otherwise have ridden past. It was some way off our route & a little hidden from view on the road I would otherwise have been riding!

Camping tonight,is in front of a very, very isolated bush police station, where apparently the cops are responsible for stopping hunters or poachers. Basically though, we're midway between villages, but as for why we've come here, rather than having stopped earlier in the afternoon and before the road & weather got too much for people, I do not know!

Villa Union to San Jose de Jachal

This morning, myself and the two Aussie shelias, Julia & Michelle, rode through some pretty impressive scenery with a mountain range on either side of the road and I've got to say it was great to be able to ride with a couple of Aussies, cause our banter and sense of humour didn't need to be explained to anyone, the European contingent all having a more staid sense of humour. 

Whilst I don't know that we solved any of the world's more serious issues, such as global warming, international migration, poverty, sustainable development, or diminishing food and mineral resources we at least managed to get a fresh and outsider's opinion on what we may wish to do when we get home to Australia, along with just talking more generally about our lives, backgrounds, etc.

Just shortly before we arrived at the lunch truck, the express (luggage) truck went passed and we couldn't help but to get a bit of a free pass by drafting behind it (out of the wind) for a couple of kilometres or so. Okay, so it may be banned by the UCI for the professional riders, but hey, what the heck, we're not and you've got to have a bit of fun out there on the road from time to time. 

Once lunch had been consumed, Shel and I, continued on at our more leisurely pace, discussing every topic known to mankind, whilst Julia, who must have been feeling a little more energetic, rode off at a pace that Marianne Vos, would have been proud of!

Chilecito to Villa Union

Given that the paper map and route profile that we were handed this morning made absolutely no sense what so ever, I'm glad I was capable of keeping up with a few chaps who (A) Didn't want to ride on the unpaved section and found a ten kilometre short-cut and (B) Had Garmin devices with the GPX file, showing them where to go.

Essentially I rode with four others (Barry, Buck, Jurg and Terry) from Chilecito till we came across the lunch truck, which was unable to proceed to the top of the climb owing to roadworks where a quick bite of tucker was consumed. A tin of tuna with a couple of biscuits.

We then took off again shortly thereafter and it wasn't long before I was dropped. Basically it was a case of stopping to take a couple of photos and I then couldn't catch up, not helped by the fact I had to wait for a truck to unload some cement pilings.....

Whilst the road was closed to traffic owing to roadworks across the top of the climb, we were able to ride around / through it all, thanks to the generosity / kindness of the construction crew. 

Thanks fellas, it was most appreciated, particularly as the detour was a distance of some 300 kilometres.....

Once over the top and clear of the major earth moving road works, I subsequently put my head down, bum up and endeavoured to catch the rest of the group, something that I managed to do but only cause they had stopped to take some photos. Of course, everyone knows you should never stop on a descent.

Buck, Terry and Barry!

From there, we rode essentially in a peleton but only cause Terry ensured that the speed wasn't too fast as to have me falling off the back again. Now at this point and it is subject to a bit of controversy I'm going to claim that I "won" today's ride, cause I was the first to the Express Fire Truck. My colleague Buck claims the victory to be his however on the basis that he was first to the allotted finishing point, albeit three kilometres before we ultimately ended up tonight!

Hualfin to San Blas de los Sauces

Unfortunately it would appear that I don't have the mental stamina I thought I had when I signed up for this trip in January or unfortunately (and perhaps more importantly) that'll see me through to Ushuaia.

Basically I no longer have the desire or perhaps it's the tenacity, to push myself through whatever the conditions are, such as the barren landscape we were due to ride through today.

It would seem that in order to ride at my best, I need to enjoy the scenery and to be somewhat mentally distracted, cause otherwise I end up either over thinking things whether it simply be what I'm doing in terms maintaining a decent cadence, or (as occurred yesterday), what I should do on the work front when I get home to Australia, what's currently happening at home, etc. Heck I mean if I'm totally honest, there's at least part of me that thinks I should be at home living and concentrating on the real world as opposed to living in cuckoo land, as I am at present by being on an extended holiday!

So where does that get us as far as today's activities, well aside from not really looking forward to riding what appeared like being a long (150KMs) ride through a boring nondescript wasteland I woke up this morning feeling a little dispirited about things and with a heart rate that was well above what it should be.....

So essentially I didn't ride today....

Hopefully resting today as I have, will result in things returning to normal and I'll be able to get back on the bike tomorrow even it's only for a portion of the 120KM we're due to ride.

Santa Maria to Hualfin

Today was a tough day on the road and I am ashamed to admit that I pulled the pin 2/3rds of the way in, I was just so tired of fighting what I can only guestimate was a 40 KM/H headwind for three or four hours on end. 

The effect of the wind was such that I was only averaging 15 KM/H and with the campsite, located some 120 kilometres from Santa Maria, I became a little concerned at my ability to get there, grab a bite to eat, set up my tent and so on, before midnight!

In all seriousness though, with the scenery being a little boring (Sorry no photos to prove it either way) and getting so frustrated at pounding the pedals and getting nowhere fast, it was my mental stamina that gave in far before I reached a point of physical exhaustion. Hopefully, it’s just a 24 hour phase, though unfortunately I suspect it may not be, cause all I know is, if the scenery / wind are like they were today for the next couple of days or so, then I will most definitely pulling the pin in Mendoza.

Whilst the size of the peleton has diminished, with seven or eight cyclists leaving in Salta, there has been an addition to the staff in the form of a new cook which I’ve got to tell you has resulted in the quality of the dinners going through the roof, relatively speaking.

Nonetheless, whilst both of the above scenarios should mean that there has been an improvement in attitude and conditions, I’m not sure that the former has occurred. 

Basically, I suppose what it boils down to is that I don’t think, I’m getting as much enjoyment or satisfaction out of this little adventure as I envisaged originally or was having whilst in Ecuador / Peru, not that I haven’t enjoyed my time in Argentina, per se. 

Either way though, I suppose only time, the next week or so, will tell as to where I head or what I do next.

Cafayate to Santa Maria

I may well have burnt off a bit more of my energy than I anticipated yesterday and ended up paying for it today cause I gotta tell you, today's ride just felt a bit more sluggish than usual. I mean sure I was able to maintain a decent pace, it just felt harder to keep the pedals turning.

Fortunately the first fifty odd kilometres was on a well paved road and so it was only after lunch and I'd paid a visit to some Inca ruins that the fun and games really began to start as the final thirty kilometres were all unpaved. Not that they were treacherous or overly corrugated just tough enough as to be a pain in the arse, particularly as by now I was coping a fairly decent head wind. 

Resistance training as its called in cycling terms and good practice for what I believe we'll encounter in Patagonia. 

Whilst normally I don't do too bad on rolling hills today it was just painfully slow hard work and I was wrapped to get into town and to be able to buy myself a nice ice cream (as good as some that I bought in Italy, but without the drama of missing a ferry - Dammo). T'was, Banana, Limon and Strawberry and very delicious.

Salta to Talapampa

It felt brilliant to be back out on the bike today and I've gotta say I didn't realize how much I'd missed riding, till today.

Initially, well till lunchtime at least, we ostensibly rode as a single group, with everyone I think feeling very relaxed and extremely well nourished as a result of having spent the last two days in Salta.

No-one was seemingly in the mood for pushing the pace too greatly rather there seemed to be a desire to simply chat with one another as to where we'd all been, what we'd eaten and so forth.

T'was very pleasant it was.

It also served to distract us from the fact it was getting increasingly hotter as the day wore on. Seriously folks, it was warm when we'd started out but by the time it got to midday it was hot. Forty degrees according to my Garmin, though I suspect closer to low to mid thirties.... Following lunch, which included a bottle of Fanta purchased from a little shop across the road from our designated lunch stop the pace (and temperature) got a little hotter and hence the peleton became no more.... At this point I've got to be honest and say my speed became a crawl as we rode towards the campsite.

Whilst I'm only guessing, I'm going to say it was the temperature, which by two o'clock was apparently tipping close to forty degrees, that had my heart rate going through the roof, despite my endeavours to lower my cadence (number of pedal revolutions per minute), slow my cycling speed and to generally "relax". T'was a bit scary I've got to admit. Just hope I don't suffer from the heat like that again, tomorrow or ever again for that matter.

Rest Day - Salta

Having spent almost the entire day yesterday going through the pros and cons of continuing on with my Bike Nightmares cycling tour through the Andes and having given my travel agent from Flight Centre no end of grief trying to come up with opportunities for me to still see some of the must see sights of Argentina and Chile before flying home, I've come to the conclusion that I should carry on riding till Mendoza (a fortnight and some one thousand kilometres or thereabouts, away) if for no other reason than it gets me into another large town with an airport, it gets me a little closer to my final destination and a prospective tour date with another (non-cycling orientated) company and most importantly of all an opportunity to "hopefully" enjoy the sights and sounds of Argentina.

Rest Day - Salta

Whilst I've been in the rather fortunate position to have been in a hotel here in Salta for the last couple of days (only cause I needed a bit of time away from the group), I heard tell from one or two of the other riders who I bumped into in town earlier today, that the campsite that the I'd otherwise be in, is a cold, miserable and run-down dump of a joint, to the extent that there's now only something like eight or nine (out of forty-five) people staying there.

Now as for whether this was a contributing factor to the brawl which occurred between a couple of guys within the group last night or not, I don't know nor care. Essentially though as far as I'm concerned (without knowing all of the details / reasons involved) I think that both parties should be shown the door..... 

On a more positive note, whilst I spent much of today either eating or shopping for tourist trinkets, I also managed to jump on a cable car to the top of San Bernardo Hill so as to get an overview of the city as well as the Lerma Valley, through which we'd driven a couple of days earlier on our way into Salta from La-Quicaca.

Rest Day - Salta

Owing to the fact that we sort of painted the town a very dark shade of red, last night, I'll have to fess up and admit that I did bugger all today. Had a bit of a late lunch in one of the restaurants overlooking the town square, then went for a bit of a snooze in one of the parks, which was then followed by dinner (a sumptuous steak) in one of the better restaurants in town, whilst watching a very large and vocal demonstration by some of the young women of Salta demanding, from what I can gather, that abortion and sex education in schools be legalised. Of course, as for how successful they'll be in a country where the Catholic Church is so well regarded, with the current Pope coming from Argentina, who knows.... Maybe it's the opportunity to get the message across that was seen as being the main aim. Either way though, the police were concerned and had the town's main church or Cathedral well and truly protected!

La-Quicaca to Salta

Given the way I felt in Tampa a few days ago, I made the decision (and took the opportunity whilst I had Internet access in Unuyi) to book a hotel in Salta, Argentina a couple of days earlier than the group was due to arrive there, with the view that whilst I'd miss a couple of days riding it would give me an opportunity to eat well, do some "tourist stuff" and clear my head.

As a result, after saying goodbye to the group, Julia and I, jumped into a car (with a driver) for the 400 kilometre trip to Salta. Sure it was a bit more expensive than if we'd caught one of the long haul coaches, but I've got to say it certainly paid off in the long run!

Whilst we were stopped on four or five occasions by the police for a bag and identify paper check, if we'd been on one of the buses the stops would have taken considerably longer and probably added an extra hour or two to the trip. Thanks for the forewarning about the prospect of police checks must go to one of the bus driver's we spoke to last night.

Getting into town at just after 3.00PM, we took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat, t'was McDonalds I am ashamed to admit, and then to explore the city and get some retail therapy in! 

Rest Day - Tupiza

I'm not too sure why we're spending a rest day, today in Tupiza, another boring Bolivian town without any redeeming attractions or scenery. Sorry, but as you may well have deduced by now, I haven't exactly been inspired by Bolivian cities.... 

As a result I'll be pleased to be getting back on the bike tomorrow, particularly given that from what I can gather it'll be a paved road, and we'll end up with us riding into Argentina, assuming the border crossing goes smoothly. 

I mean I will be entering the country as a POM and we all know the recent history between the England and Argentina.

Atocha to Tupiza

Whilst I had a bit of a minor scare that I might have to ride the full day today, it looked like it was going to be particularly long and hard day in the saddle on an unpaved road similar to or worse than yesterday, with one of the two trucks having not returned from its overnight search for one of the spare truck tyres that had apparently rattled loose from its moorings at some point during the day, fortuitously it returned moments before I was due to mount my stead and head out into the wild blue yonder.

As a result, I along with Carmen, Julia and Dave popped our bikes on the roof of the lunch truck, with the view that at least this way we'd get most of the day's climbing out of the way (by cheating) and at least giving ourselves every opportunity to enjoy riding (as opposed to it being a chore / endurance test) and I'm so glad we did. That's not to say we didn't do any climbing we did, with the first serious test of about four kilometres, having a gradient at time. that had pinches in the double figures. Of course, I should also mention that this was all on an unpaved road, making things just that little bit more interesting.

Of course, there were to be downhills to be found / enjoyed as well, though one did have to be mindful of the corrugations in the road that had one bouncing around on the seat like nobodies business and I'll admit it, I've got a very sore arse at the moment!

The other thing to be aware of, was not only the drop off should one take the corner's a little too fast, but also the long haul coaches! It's one thing to stay in front of one and to be pedaling like mad and speeding down hill like a looney it's another thing all together to be confronted by one coming in the opposite direction!

Being a hot day, we were all ultimately pretty wrapped when the road leveled out somewhat and the riding became a little easier. We even managed to find a little village, where we were able to enjoy a wonderful bowl of soup and a bottle of coke.

Uyuni to Atocha

If I'd known today's ride was going to be as tough as it ended up being, I would have hired a taxi, bought a car or at the very least jumped onto one of the Bike Dreams trucks. Seriously and I know that my mountain biking skills are still only at the beginner to intermediate level, the length and depth of the sand traps in combination with the washboard nature of the road surface made it extremely slow (and painful) going in what was to a certain extent, boring scenery! Things were livened up to a certain extent, when I came across these guys, though I've no idea where they were headed as there didn't appear to be a water or a feed supply nearby.

It's at this point I have to be honest and say, that by the time the lunch truck came past, (around the 85KM point in the ride) I was totally feed up, with things and ended up jumping on board for the remaining thirty odd kilometres to our designated campsite. It's a pity in a way, that I hadn't chosen to do it the other way around (not that it would have been possible I subsequently discovered) because the scenery improved, quite dramatically, within 5-10 kilometres of my getting on board the truck!

I later found out, the reason there hadn't been a lunch stop and why only doing the second stage of the ride would have been impossible, is that the lunch truck had been required to deal with a medical emergency, as one of our group, had come off his bike owing to the treacherous road conditions and dislocated his shoulder in the process!

Rest Day - Uyuni

It would seem that Uyuni must have been an important industrial or railway town at one point in time because there's a rather large and now seemingly unused train station in the centre of the city, but what makes this little town, on the edge of the salt plain, important / interesting to see, other as being a tourism hub, is it's rather large train cemetery.

Seemingly the POMS were invited over to Bolivia, in 1888 or thereabouts, to construct locomotives, carriages and most importantly of all, to lay the tracks, so as to enable the various mining company's in the area to get their minerals to the ports on the Pacific Ocean. 

Unfortunately it would seem however, when the mining industry collapsed in the 1940s as a result of mineral depletion the trains were abandoned (Run into one another and then set alight or something, would seem closer to the truth of things). Either way though, it gives rise to a very interesting site, well worth visiting if you are in the area.

Salar De Uyuni to Uyuni

This morning having stayed at a hotel in the middle of a salt plain and only being a short ride into town, we had the opportunity this morning to do a Individual Time Trial of some seven kilometres without there being any traffic lights, interference from motor vehicles or otherwise and whilst I suspect some people took it seriously (though they may not have said as much) most took it as an opportunity to blow off a bit of steam and have some fun.

Being "released" in alphabetical order by first names, I was the first to head out towards the finish line, as the rabbit for those following to chase as it were, with my prime concern being that I not be overtaken by the next chap, within the first kilometre  (the visual distance of the rest of the group). Now being first thing in the morning and without having had or made the time to warm up, I found it difficult to get going.

The air was cold making breathing extremely difficult and I suspect like most people I found it impossible to get up to a decent speed. I think I managed at one point to get to about 30KM/H but doing so made the lungs almost collapse. 

As a result, I wound it back a fraction, I mean I wanted to be able to cross the finish line in one piece and I'm glad I did.... I mean I hadn't staked any $$$ on it, wasn't taking it too seriously and doubted that I'd keep the stronger faster lads at bay regardless of what I did. In that respect I was proven right, but am pleased to say that, I reported an acceptable time nonetheless. 

Once the ITT was over and whilst the judges collated / reviewed the times people achieved,  we all headed into Uyuni the town in which we've got a rest day tomorrow and what a welcome relief it was to subsequently check into hotel with hot running water.....

Tahua to Salar De Uyuni

With the opportunity to ride across the largest salt flat in the world and one which is apparently 25 times larger than the infamous Bonneville Salt Flats in America where so many car land speed records have (and continue to be) set, there's no way in the world you could keep me from riding today.

Issues such altitude sickness, food poisoning, the behaviour of a certain dickhead within the group (sorry for the language but there is no other way to describe him) or scratchy limbs (from the multitude of bites I endured a month or so ago and that still give me grief), were all cast aside. As a result I headed out on to the salt plain with a certain amount of anticipation and excitement.

It's a weird almost surreal experience, with scenery that has to be seen to be believed. 

Looking back at where we camped last night - right on the edge of the Salt Plain

Julia and Carmen.

Stopping by a little "island" in the salt, we had a bite to eat at the lunch truck, before heading onto our hotel, one which we were to discover wasn't exactly ordinary given that it's made almost entirely of salt, though unfortunately I forgot to take pictures specifically of it, as evidence or a reminder. 

Let's just put it this way, I was having too much fun both with the ride out there, I did a bit of long distance interval training, but also once there by drinking & dancing to some great music that people had on their iPhones and so on!

The trucks parked out the front of the hotel

Oruro to Andamarca

Whilst still feeling a little techy I decided that I'd better get on my bike and ride it before it began to feel a little unloved or unwanted, on top of which the idea of catching the lunch truck or what have you, just didn't seem all that appealing. 

As a result I headed off into the wilderness....

What I didn't I wasn't to discover till much later in the day and after some eighty or ninety kilometres of riding was that the lunch truck had been delayed in Oruro by police because it had apparently brought down a power line (the bikes sit up fairly high off the ground) whilst driving out of town. 

Fortunately Rob & Wilbert had bought out a little cafe / shop in the only village we were to pass through for the day and I'm so glad they did cause it was a little bit of hard work on the unpaved roads, particularly given that it had began to get hot as the day wore out!

Rien wondering where the hell he left his bike!

Obviously it wasn't in amongst this little collection.

Once a refreshingly cool coke / fanta and some biscuits were consumed, we all pretty much headed out of town as a peleton, which also unfortunately gave rise for the opportunity for Rien to spark Julia and I into competition when we came across a short sharp hill, and I think we both startled the daylights out of the rest of the group, by riding up it like madmen! 

It's all a bit of fun though and once we got to the top, we both fell about in laughter at the fact that we'd both been spurred into action by someone who wasn't even involved and just wanted to see how crazy we both were..... Very, I think being the answer!