Northwest Argentina

April 14 I am in Salta at the moment in Northwest Argentina, waiting. Waiting for the weather to change. It is cold and wet even though I am nearly level with the tropic of Capricorn. Salta is a bit of a base for back packers. It is ok. I have enjoyed the good restaurants but I have had enough. I just want to get away. I hope to cross back over into Chile to San Pedro de Atacama. To do this I need to cross the Andes again and this time the altitude is around 4200m. If it is cold down here I can only imagine how cold it would be up there. So there I was today just sort of moping about, treating myself to a good steak to cheer me up when in walks me mate Phil. I met Phil a few days before. He has been travelling on and off for the last ten years or so, a wealth of information and a top bloke. He decided not to ride today as well (he is going south) so we sat around and chewed the fat, drank coffee and caught a movie - basically just killed a bit of time. Phil gave me a map the other day of Bolivia and a bit of info on the road ahead. It sounds like the roads out there are the roughest in all of South America. Bike breaking roads. Phil reckons he doesn´t want to do them again...

BUT, I still want to try. Maybe if the salt flats aren´t dry enough I will go a different way. Salt and water and bikes aren´t a good combination.

Travelling north through Argentina has been anything but short of amazing. The ever changing scenery has been mind boggling time and time again. I think the North is as beautiful as the South. Maybe more beautiful. Multicoloured rocks, green valleys, dry valleys, cacti, old ruins, awesome windy bike roads through gorges, wineries, old churches, old spanish architecture, mud brick houses, huge eagles, ancient rock paintings, indigenous artesans, and many friendly people.

Some good wines (Torrentés for one) but I have been spoilt with the wines from the South West (Australia).These ruins at Quilmes predate the Incas...

If you need to walk around in the ´bush´out here at night to take a pee I think a torch would come in handy...

Finding these rock paintings was a bit of an achievement since the directions I had were wrong. I found them late in the afternoon and had the whole site to myself. It was a surreal experience lying on my back staring at the rock ceiling trying to work out the meanings of all the different pictures and symbols, trying to imagine a life so foreign to ours today. Sitting in the cave watching the sun go down was a beautiful and tranquil scene - unchanged for thousands of years, great until I realised I still needed to travel a few more hours on the bike...Humitas... derived from corn. Tasted alright. Very popular in Bolivia so I´d better get used to it..

Argentinos love to sing and dance and do it pretty well too.

Small section of roa between Cafyate and Salta. Bit shaky and poor quality once again...