{"id":859,"date":"2011-03-08T03:39:58","date_gmt":"2011-03-08T06:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=859"},"modified":"2011-03-26T16:05:47","modified_gmt":"2011-03-26T19:05:47","slug":"cycling-argentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/03\/cycling-argentina\/","title":{"rendered":"Flooding and other Assorted Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flooding.\u00a0 We hadn\u2019t expected it in on the Puna. \u00a0But this was a La ni\u00f1a<\/em> year, said the locals.\u00a0 Clima loco.\u00a0 Crazy weather.<\/p>\n

In this part of Northern Argentina, undulating Ruta 40 and the other minor roads we bounced along crossed dozens of (normally dry) watercourses.\u00a0 Normally<\/em> dry.<\/p>\n

\"Does<\/a>
Does this look like a flood region?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A beautiful sky is incentive enough to hit the road early.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But not this year.\u00a0 Unusually heavy rains have transformed these \u2018normally dry\u2019 watercourses into fast-flowing rivers.\u00a0 Since these watercourses are \u2018normally dry,\u2019 there are no bridges. Think flash floods and landslides, raging torrents and falling rocks. Ruined roads and towns cut off for days on end due to abnormal deluges.<\/p>\n

\"Cars<\/a>
Cars waited for hours after a storm until the flood waters receded.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All in all we were pretty lucky, with the worst of the weather never quite catching up to us.<\/p>\n

Now and then we had to slip off our sneakers and wade across one of these watercourses that had washed out the road.\u00a0 Always a bone-chilling experience and, once or twice, slightly scary since the current turned out to be stronger than expected.<\/p>\n

\"Some<\/a>
Some mighty chilly water, direct from the glaciers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The only casualty of the crossings was our video camera.\u00a0 Sadly, it popped out of my bar bag on one particularly rough and rocky crossing.\u00a0 Immediately it was swept down the river and, alas, our film making days are over for a while.<\/p>\n

Far more serious was the hapless family whose car got crushed under a giant boulder.\u00a0 I pumped the pedals with all my might through that hazardous stretch of road south of Chilecito.<\/p>\n

\"Watch<\/a>
Watch out! This road can be seriously damaging to your health.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since we first entered Argentina more than 5 months ago, the variety of landscapes has been mind-boggling.\u00a0 From the lush semi-tropical region around Iguazu Falls to the icy-cold lakes of Tierra Fuego and the long, empty stretches of pampa.<\/p>\n

Now we\u2019re in wild-west like territory.\u00a0 Great sandstone canyons and vast expanses of scrubland broken up by the occasional oasis.\u00a0 Here spring up remote villages filled with vineyards, fruit trees and tall poplars which give shade from the powerful sun.<\/p>\n

\"Couldn't<\/a>
Couldn't you just imagine a stagecoach coming round the bend?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Giant<\/a><\/p>\n

We venture off onto minor roads which the locals warn are \u2018muy feo.\u2019\u00a0 In bad condition, they say.\u00a0 Not so bad, in my opinion, but then after Africa the bar\u2019s pretty low.<\/p>\n

\"Really<\/a>
Bad road? Nah, that's nothing compared with the horrors of roads in Central Africa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"IMG_9198-bike-cowboy\"<\/a>
Cowboys like bikes, too.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I like these quiet backroads.\u00a0 The only traffic is the odd pick-up truck belonging to the Canadian-owned mine.\u00a0 The mines are controversial in these parts.\u00a0 They\u2019ve apparently poisoned the local water supply and have done little for the development of communities in which they operate.<\/p>\n

As a cyclist I can\u2019t help but appreciate the mining company.\u00a0 The mining company keeps the road maintained, the miners operate camps at which we can stop and fill up our bottles with cool mineral water, and the miners who pass in the pickups usually slow down and ask if we\u2019re doing all right.<\/p>\n

\"Narrow<\/a><\/p>\n

Once a big truck from the mining company even pulled over and the driver leaned out the window and handed me a hot meal all wrapped up in tin-foil.\u00a0 He told me they\u2019d just had an asado<\/em> (barbecue) and wanted to share.<\/p>\n

When I peeled back the wrapper I discovered a fresh green salad with plump, red tomatoes, vegetable rice and tender new potatoes smothered in butter.\u00a0 This was my manna in the wilderness.\u00a0 The asado went to Eric.<\/p>\n

I believe there is nothing in the world that can bring more pleasure to a suffering cyclist than an unexpected offering of food.<\/p>\n

It was in a pure state of bliss that I shoveled in the nourishing vegetables.\u00a0 \u00a0Argentina is not the easiest country for a non meat-eater.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure this comes as no surprise to you.\u00a0 Five months of pasta, porridge and pastries pretty much sums up my experience with Argentine cuisine.<\/p>\n

After the asado I was pumped up with energy.\u00a0\u00a0 We pulled into Tocota not an hour later.\u00a0 Tocota, it turns out, is not a small town, as one might imagine from a fast glance at the map.<\/p>\n

Tocota\u2019s denoted by a regular sized dot.\u00a0 A small town you might think.\u00a0 A place with a general store, a primary school and a church or two.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
Our campsite at Tocota, under the watchful eye of the gendamerie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But no.\u00a0 Tocoata is nothing more than a large ranch and a tiny outpost of the gendarmerie.\u00a0 Which was fine with me.\u00a0 We pitched the tent out back in a grassy field with a stunning view of the surrounding mountains.\u00a0\u00a0 The kind officers on duty welcomed us in for hot showers, which was much appreciated since I\u2019d gone my maximum two days without bathing.<\/p>\n

\"More<\/a>
More friendly locals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were more days like this.\u00a0 Lonely backroads, sleepy villages and stunning scenery.\u00a0 Northern Argentina seems a world apart from the rest of the country.\u00a0 Locals farm small plots of land and many homes resemble the simple adobe structures found in neighboring Bolivia.\u00a0 My blonde hair stands out here, which certainly isn\u2019t the case in Buenos Aires and other regions of Argentina.<\/p>\n

\"Way<\/a><\/p>\n

The siesta, which I continue to find exasperating, is even longer.\u00a0 Shops close at half past one in the afternoon and many don\u2019t re-open until 6:00 or even 7:00 pm.<\/p>\n

In spite of the frustrations, I think this is my favorite part of\u00a0\u00a0 Argentina.\u00a0 Pitching the tent under a spectacular sunset, rising early to set off under a fiery orange sky, rattling across the rutted roads.\u00a0 This is the kind of biking I like best.<\/p>\n

\"Life's<\/a>
Life's better on a bike.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Flooding.\u00a0 We hadn\u2019t expected it in on the Puna. \u00a0But this was a La ni\u00f1a year, said the locals.\u00a0 Clima loco.\u00a0 Crazy weather. In this part of Northern Argentina, undulating Ruta 40 and the other minor roads we bounced along<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[16,12,49],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nFlooding and other Assorted Fun - Worldbiking.info<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2011\/03\/cycling-argentina\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flooding and other Assorted Fun - Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Flooding.\u00a0 We hadn\u2019t expected it in on the Puna. \u00a0But this was a La ni\u00f1a year, said the locals.\u00a0 Clima loco.\u00a0 Crazy weather. 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