September, 25, 2009. Belen, Argentina.
TUCAN'S, CAPIBARA'S AND THE ABRA DEL ACAY.

On the long way to the Panatanal we drove through farmland and we didn't see anything interesting for days, only the Brazilian version of Ayers Rock and some strange birds who must have been roll models for John Cleese's department of silly walks.
It was still very hot and Andy's helmet smelled like a hamster cage.

We saw enormous grain fields which make some people very rich, the workers, the poor people, where living next to the road in buildings made from cardboard and plastic. No water, no toilets.

San Rafael, Argentina, October 23, 2009.

CROSSING A SALT LAKE, RED VOLCANOE'S AND WORKING ON THE FARM.

In San Antonio de los Cobres the wind is howling and there is dust flying all over the place. Not an attractive place to be. And it's cold. We find a place to stay in this mining town, it has heating as well!
We buy a lot of fuel, loads of water, crackers and tin food. We are above 4000 meters, we can't breath very well, our lips are already cracked and our skin is dry as leather. We follow for 70 km the track in the direction of the Paso de Sico, towards Chili. Then there is a turn off. On the map it looks like a little village, but all we find are some abandoned houses in the middle of nowhere. We start to follow the 17, an interesting track. No cars, no people, nada. Loads of space, pinky, purple and red colors.

San Rafael, Argentina, October 23, 2009.

CROSSING A SALT LAKE, RED VOLCANO'S AND WORKING ON THE FARM.

In San Antonio de los Cobres the wind is howling and there is dust flying all over the place. Not an attractive place to be. And it's cold. We find a place to stay in this mining town, it has heating as well!
We buy a lot of fuel, loads of water, crackers and tin food. We are above 4000 meters, we can't breath very well, our lips are already cracked and our skin is dry as leather. We follow for 70 km the track in the direction of the Paso de Sico, towards Chili. Then there is a turn off. On the map it looks like a little village, but all we find are some abandoned houses in the middle of nowhere. We start to follow the 17, an interesting track. No cars, no people, nada. Loads of space, pinky, purple and red colors.

The higher you are, the more pastel. Some deserted villages and lama herds.
It's cold during the day, we are wearing all our clothes. At the end of the day the temperature drops quickly and at night it's around minus 12-14 Celsius. Higher up in the mountains we find snow, but the track has been cleared.

DECEMBER 27, ESQUEL, ARGENTINA.

In San Rafael, at John and Annette's place, we stayed for 6 weeks. You can stay at their finca (farm) if you give them a hand. Before we left we finished the galleria (the porch). We did the concreting underneath in the early hours of the morning to avoid getting heatstroke.
I love this place when it's spring, all the greens look so pretty.

We celebrated Guy Forks night at the finca. One of those great ideas of Annette. She made toffee apples and I made a guy from old cloths and hay. Annette had invited friends, also expatriates from Britain and the States (the last one's had no clue what Guy Forks night was all about!).

It took all morning to buy some fireworks for Guy's night. In the shop they couldn't tell us how much it would cost and we had to come back 3 times before we got them. After Andy had fired off the first one, the hay underneath the trees started to burn. Some buckets with water prevented the finca from being burned down. After singing a song and a last dance with Guy we threw him in the fire...

SHIT SHOVELLING IN 'HOTEL PATAGONIA' AND BONNIE MEETS TIGER!
January 17, 2010, Esquel, Argentina.

Christmas was well celebrated with our friends Tony and Hazel in Esquel. We had a real Christmas dinner, even champagne for breakfast. This would be the last treat for a while. The plan is to go South, following the Caratera Austral in Chili and routa 40 in Argentina, all the way to Porito Moreno (an enormous glacier). It means we have to wild camp a lot and eat noodles..

The Caratera Austral showed me one day 12 waterfalls in one view! Yellow bushes and blue lupines in front of emerald lakes and rivers made it all look like a postcard picture. The road was often full of potholes and deep rippio, but my eyes were everywhere and popping out all the time. We saw a hanging glacier and a huge waterfall with a rainbow.

On the way to Coihaique Tony and Hazel took an exhausted push biker with them in the car. He had hurt his leg. When he had a look at the sidecar he called Andy 'a road worrier'.