For once, there’s no long written report—just more pictures :-). As always, feedback is welcome!

After we assembled our bikes in La Rioja, we finally set off. Unfortunately, things didn’t start off very well: After just a few kilometers, we passed an accident involving two cars. That reminded us that the most dangerous part of our trip is the traffic on the road…

At first, we headed slightly south, even though we were actually supposed to go north. But we wanted to ease into it first, so we didn’t head straight into the mountains. The route was practically flat, and the sun was beating down. We had to stay cool accordingly

and provide us with shade during breaks. But finding a spot like that wasn’t easy, since there were hardly any trees (and there certainly weren’t any towns).

But the scenery was all the more beautiful for it, and we almost felt like we were in Australia. The only things missing were the kangaroos, and the mountains were a little less rounded.

Along the way, we also ran into the first other touring cyclists: Claire and Sam (UK). They were coming toward us, but that wasn’t going to be our last encounter.

Unfortunately, on the second day, we already ran into trouble. It came in the form of small, sharp seeds that could even pierce Kevlar. They look pretty harmless, but they pack a punch. When you try to remove them, they tend to prick your fingers.

Zum Glück war gleich ein Baum in der Nähe für die Reparatur im Schatten. Auch so war es genug schweisstreibend…

But as is so often the case, bad luck and good luck are quite close together. And so, that evening, while we were looking for a place to stay, we met Omar. He owns a finca (Elías Y Hermanos Sa Cinco Estrellas) where he produces various wines. So we camped there and, over a long conversation, thoroughly sampled his excellent wines. And as we were leaving, he even gave us a bottle of wine to take with us. :-). Muchas Gracias, Omar!

Feeling a little groggy, we set off again. First to Chilecito (where we took some time to recover from the first few days and also reached Ruta 40), and then on to Pituil. Once there, we started getting up earlier, since the temperatures were more bearable then.

And the morning scenes definitely have their own charm, too.

But unfortunately, neither of us is really an early riser…

Either way, after a very long day, we made it all the way to Londres, where we visited one of the most important Inca sites in Argentina: El Shinkal de Quimivil.

After that, we set off again on our bikes and ran into two old friends: Claire and Sam (UK)! Together, we rode on to Belen, where we toasted our reunion with some good Argentine beer :-).

You can see and read about what happened next in the next article.

Best regards,

Stefan and Susanna