After a good shopping trip to the Punta Carretas shopping centre on Friday, February 22, 2013, we leave Montevideo on Ruta 1 in north-westerly direction towards Colonia del Sacramento.
On the highway we get the first views of the famous old cars of Uruguay .....
In Colonia San Joaquin (GPS: S 34° 27.642' W 056° 54.088') we see very old cars at the side of the road and stop .....
A closer inspection reveals a great collection of vintage cars and equipment.
What a shame that the shop is closed.
We deviate to Nueva Helvecia.
We stop for some information at the local shopping centre.
A friendly inhabitant tells us some of the local history.
In 1862 a group of Swiss, Austrians and Germans settled here.
They invited some fellow countrymen to join them.
Immigrants were picked up at the harbour and presented with a piece of land and two cows.
The locals also helped the new arrivals with building their houses and then they left to do their own business.
Some were not lucky and left but many staid on ....
Many houses display the coat of arms of their origin, some have chalet-style decorations ... even the water tower.
Today it houses the O.S.E. (Administracion de las Obras Sanitarias del Estado), a governmental office.
It is funny to see very Swiss things like a typical hiking sign-post with the distance to Switzerland, a kiosk with the flags of the Swiss cantons and even a road named after Wilhelm Tell, the famous Swiss hero that shut Gessler, one of the brutal despots .... mind you, even though Tell is very much celebrated it is not sure if he ever existed or if he only was "created" by Schiller ......
The Colonia Suiza had its 150 year anniversary in 2012.
Already in 1937 Switzerland congratulated them with a plaque displayed on their plaza in remembrance of the pioneers.
On the way towards Colonia we come past some more old vehicles .....
We head out to Real de San Carlos where we meet again with our co-passengers from the Grimaldi RoCo ferry "Grande Costa d'Avorio" we had travelled on to come to South America.
Click here to read the journal.
Real de San Carlos has long stretches of beach where one can camp for free.
While the rest of the group decides to enjoy a cold beer we head back to Colonia del Sacramento, or Colonia as it is called in Uruguay.
It is a small town right opposite of Buenos Aires that has been preserved in its colonial style.
Many of the buildings have been renovated keeping the original look and feel ..... very nice.
It is very touristic but luckily it is still siesta time when we visit, keeping the amount of people to a minimum.
Colonia is famous for its Dutch tiles.
As we sit outside a coffee shop for some internet and some great fresh lemonade we can watch a group of actors in traditional costumes acting in a movie.
Then it is time to return to Real de San Carlos and have our last night with our co-passengers from the Grimaldi.
On Saturday it is time to say goodbye to our group as each of us will now go its own way ... Toni and Gaby will settle in Paraguay .... Pierre and Theresia will travel for a few months, then store the vehicle and return to Europe .... and we will head over to Argentina.
We return to Colonia for some more internet and can now see the setting of yesterday's movie shooting.
Then we leave in northerly direction on the Ruta 21.
We find Uruguay to be very green and agricultural.
We pass many small towns with Hispanic centres and
also bridges like Puente Camacho.
After Dolores we find an old stretch of road and settle for the night.
During the night a thunderstorm wakes us up and then rain sets in .....
On Sunday we proceed towards Fray Bentos where we fill the tanks.
The diesel in Argentina is about twice the price of the one in Uruguay.
We also get prepared for the crossing of the boarder.
We had not considered that Argentina is very strict with regards to importing any fresh produce.
We pack all our cheese and fresh salami into a plastic bag and add it to the normal rubbish we have.
This bag is now stored on the roof inside of the tyre we have, as we always store the rubbish there before we can get rid of it.
Should they now find our bag up there we will just declare that we had forgotten to dispose of it .....
All goes well; they don't even ask for any fruit or fresh food.
We had also been warned that the border crossing is known for being slow and painful ....
We do not feel any of it. The officers are very friendly and we are through in a song.
But maybe it is because it is Sunday morning .... all trucks are parked on the side of the road .....
Just the migration office is open, the customs and quarantine inspection looks to be closed.
Even so Australia's Smartraveller information says that everyone entering Argentina has to pay a 100 US$ annual fee per person we are not asked to do so.
We don't mind.
Soon we cross the impressive bridge that spans over the Rio Uruguay and links the two countries.
We take the RT 136 and follow it to Gualeguaychu.
There is not one service station along the road .... no wonder if the fuel is so much cheaper in Uruguay ...
In Gualeguaychu we pass a Carrefour and go shopping. It has a nice selection and we are happy.
The town seems to be quite laid-back ...... hang-on ..... it is siesta time!
We still have to get used that between 2 - 5 PM not much happens in Argentina.
Shortly after
Gualeguaychu we are stopped by the police.
We had been warned that the police in Entre Rios province are a pain.
As only Susi speaks Spanish she has to deal with them.
The officer walks to Susi's window and ask for the papers.
Susi hands him the papers of the OKA and Ruedi's driver's license.
(We only hand out good copies of the driver's license and certified copies of the first page of the passport.)
The officer says
that he wants the license of the driver .....
Susi says that she has done so .... Ruedi is driving .....
The officer is a bit confused then gets it that the steering wheel is on the other side of the vehicle.
Still very serious he explains that he will have to
give us a fine because the OKA does not have an underride protection.
Susi explains to him that we have an international vehicle and that local Argentinian laws don't apply to us.
She also explains that the spare wheel that we have in the back underneath the cabin
acts as such a protection.
The officer is not satisfied and says that Susi should come to the office with the passports.
We are prepared for this and have a modified form that we have copied from the official "Mexican complaint form for tourists".
Click here to view the PDF in a separate window.
Somehow Susi must have looked self-confident ..... the officer does not even check the passports ... just looks at her and wished her a good day ..... and off we are!
We change to the Ruta 16 towards Gualeguay.
In the vicinity of Larroque approx. every 100 m or so a tarantula crosses the road .....
And we also see some kind of an oversize guinea pig along the road but have no clue what it is.
The area is green and pastoral ..... including the equipment ....
In Argentina the older cars are not as old as in Uruguay but still more or less from when we were young .....
By the way:
A bottle on top of the vehicle means that vehicle is for sale ... an additional blue one means that the owner is desperate to sell .....
We also like the street signs ....... but they have a reason ......
On Ruta 11 we continue on to Victoria.
At the entry AND at the exit of the town we are stopped by police officers .... same game again ... same discussion ... but they let us go.
From Victoria the A015 leads to Rosario on a dam.
It is a very nice drive through the flood plain of the Rio Paraná.
On the banks we can see many Caranchos or Southern Crested Caracara.
Rosario is the last port that can be serviced by normal size ships on the Rio Paraná.
It is a large city with high risers in the CBD.
We tell the GPS that we want to go to Villa General Belgrano and it starts routing us to there.
But somehow the GPS sends us onto tiny dirt tracks.
Normally we don't mind, but after the rains of the last 2 days they are very soft and we worry that we might get stuck.
When the truck turns into a single line track we turn around ....
we don't feel like shovelling ....
On the Ruta 9 we drive until we reach Carcaraña.
The GPS says that there are campgrounds here but after inspecting one we decide to camp behind the local service station like all the other trucks.
We have not even finished the ice-cream and set up camp when the locals come and ask for help.
A track has slipped off the dirt track and needs help.
They have sent for a tractor hours ago but still nobody has come to pull them out.
When we arrive and see the position of the truck the first thing we do is stabilise it.
We cannot drive past the truck as the track is too narrow. The only way to recover the truck is from behind using the winch over a pulley positioned in front of the truck.
So we try to get the earth nails into the ground as anchor point to install the pulley, but the ground is too soft, the nails keep coming out of the ground.
Luckily the tractor arrives and together we can pull the truck to safety.
By 8:30 PM we are back at the service station, dirty but happy that all has gone well.
On Monday we continue and reach Villa Maria by 9 AM.
We choose to use the side roads and not the highway.
This is good because in Bell Ville we find a service station with a very good free WiFi.
So it is time for some emails.
After Bell Ville the GPS routes us onto another dirt track.
We would have had in problem yesterday, but today it looks much better.
We decide to set the routing-parameters in the GPS to exclude dirt roads .....
We pass Embalse (which means "artificial lake" in Spanish) and start climbing a bit into the mountains.
It is a very pretty valley with its green pastures, cows, mountains ..... it reminds us of Europe .....
Soon after Villa General Belgrano we reach Alta Vista where our friends Sandra and Francis live.
They have a visitor from Switzerland, Gioia, their former neighbour.
We enjoy a relaxed evening and have a bit of fun.
On Tuesday Francis ask us if we want to join him to rebuild the small bridge that crosses the river.
The kids form this side of the valley need the bridge so they can go to school.
The summer holidays are over and tomorrow it is the first day of the new school term.
Keanu, their son, has gone ahead with the neighbours who are bringing the horses to assist with the installation of the wooden bridge.
But first we have to rebuild the support area.
The last flood has removed the stone bed.
Then it is time to pull the bridge across again.
Keanu is the first to cross the bridge.
Quickly he checks if the school is still there .....
Francis tells us to hike back to the house ... just up the hill until we reach the track that leads to the left and then all straight on ..... all over about 20 minutes .....
Ok .....
one hour later we are still looking for the way home ..... so we decide to head back to the river and cross to the other side.
Susi slips and takes a bath .... luckily she had stored the camera in the backpack before!
We reach the dirt track we had driven in the morning and soon are back at the house.
We still don't know why we did not find the track .....
The full
moon closes a nice day.
On Wednesday morning Francis takes Keanu to school.
Keanu and some of the kids are too small to cross the river on their own so one neighbour rides down with the kids on bicycles and the other neighbour picks the kids up after school.
Today is handy-man-day .... first some light-fittings need installing ....
... then the Wallas diesel stove in Sandra and Francis' camper need repairing .....
Ruedi has got himself a reputation as "repairer" of Wallas stoves ..... because our Wallas used to have
breakdowns every so often ... too often!
But since Ruedi "hard-wired" (soldered) all connectors we have had no more issues ... touch wood!!!!
Today is the day of the court case regarding Argentines Sovereign Debt.
Depending on what the United States Court of Appeals in New York decides Argentina could face
bankruptcy.
So we keep an eye on the internet ....
(Check
www.shearman.com/argentine-sovereign-debt
for details on the whole case).
It is a hot day and in the afternoon we head down to the river for a swim ....
In the evening it is assado-time ... the typical Argentinian way of BBQ ... but first the dogs get bones so we can have our peace later on ....
Keanu keeps track of what is happening ....
Gioia is the master of the assado grill.
It takes a good hour to get enough hot coal for the "barbie" .....
Any comments required? Noooooooooooooo .....
On Thursday Susi hits the town.
Francis has some business to do so she has plenty of time to have a look around.
Villa General Belgrano used to be a town with mainly Swiss, Germans, Austrians... but these days the Argentinians have taken over many businesses.
The Oktoberfest with all the beer is one of the largest festivals in Argentina.
And so it is no surprise that many souvenirs are very German like .....
The majority of the houses in the main street are held in a chalet-style.
Even the
Municipalidad, the municipal administration, resides in a pretty chalet.
Beer is the main local product.
The main plaza ................................ a "left-over" from Christmas ...........
... the tower offers a view over the village ......
.... some of it is very touristic ....... kitschy ..... or nice and practical like the wooden boards for the assado ......
In the middle of it all is the knife sharpener.
He has been sharping knifes here for 20 years and even though he comes from Cordoba he knows everybody and everything.
The area around the small river has been converted into a nice park, very relaxing.
Then it is time to return home and get the OKA ready.
We want to drive up to La Cumbrecita and go hiking.
It is a pretty drive.
We climb higher and higher and the views are great.
Francis had recommended driving to Cerro Cristal and staying behind the hotel.
But we have again problems engaging low 4WD and don't fancy getting stuck in 2WH on that steep and sometimes tilting dirt track.
So after having gone for a walk we set up camp on a flat spot on the side track leading to the reservoir and enjoy a quiet evening.
On Friday we are woken up by a car that drives to the reservoir.
A few minutes later it comes back and drives away.
We wonder what this was all about .... until we hear the cows coming ....
Soon we are surrounded by cattle.
It feels like Switzerland with the exception that they don't wear bells around their necks!
It is a glorious day and soon we are all geared up and on the way to the mountains.
Past some cows we hike uphill.
Almost like Switzerland again ....... except for the cacti, there is no such thing in the Alps!
The views are very pretty.
The visibility is great and one can see far.
There is a strong wind blowing and the clouds that are visible at the horizon point to a possible late thunderstorm.
There is plenty to be seen on the way.
On the top the wind is even stronger and we have to find a corner that is a bit protected to be able to enjoy the views.
Soon we are on our way back.
The clouds are starting to build up ....
We have also seen that the locals are getting ready for a Gaucho festival on our exit route back to the bitumen.
Two large tents and portable toilets have already been set up.
We don't fancy being in the middle of this so we decide to head back to Francis and his family.
Nobody is home when we arrive so we go for a swim.
When we come back they are there, just getting ready for a swim too ....
The clouds are building up and have a yellowish colour.
Francis is worried that there may be hail too.
He gets a large net to cover the OKA's solar panels so they should not be damaged.
The sheet lightning is impressive and we are sure that the storm will start any time.
The neighbour drives past and tells Francis that he has to pick up his wife.
She was on the way home in the bus when the hail destroyed the windscreen.
Now she is stuck.
But only a few drops of rain fall .....
On Saturday morning we get ready to leave.
Thanks Sandra, Francis and Keanu for having us.
After filling up our supplies we leave the town in northerly direction on the Ruta 5.
We pass
the Dique Los Molinos with all its house-boats.
It is all very nice but very touristic, not our style.
Then we deviate west onto the Ruta 495, then north onto Ruta 271.
Ruta 271 is a nice little road through the hills..
According to the GPS it should be a dirt road but we find it to be freshly tared.
At the steep sections the road has been covered with cobblestone pavement.
Overall so far we have the impression that Argentina is well maintained and very clean.
With the exception of the area around a rubbish dump there is no rubbish flying around.
We are impressed.
We come past the Observatorio Astronomico Bosque and Estacion Terrena Bosque Alegre.
There are only very little towns in the area so there is almost no light pollution.
We take the Ruta 34, a real mountain road with some exceptional views.
There is even an old Torre de Detencion Incendios Forestales, a fire watch tower.
Now we feel
like in the south of Western Australia with its fire trees!
We reach the top and the entry to the Parque Nacional de la Quebrada del Condorito.
As it is already
afternoon we decide to stay at the entry of the park for the night.
We drive a bit into the park and park the OKA on the side of the road.
As Susi gets out a pretty green frog jumps away.
Where there is one there must be more!
We deice to go for a bit of a hike.
Soon Susi spots a green lizard, watching us .....
... and there are many more.
We return to the OKA and Ruedi gets busy fixing an electrical problem in the cabin.
Many cars drive past and we wonder what it happening.
One car stops and a gentleman asks
Ruedi if he need assistance.
When we say no he is pleased.
He says that once Ruedi has finished we should come to the local Gaucho festival, some 17 km down the dirt track, just outside of the National Park.
He belongs to a 4x4 group from Mendoza who is attending the festival.
Why not?
So we pack up and drive into the park.
After 17 km we leave the main track and follow the smaller track.
It is again narrow and sometimes steep
...... and our low gear don't work properly .....
But Ruedi manages to get us there and we are warmly welcome.
Soon we are in the group and the party starts.
A group of children performs Gaucho dances.
They are really sweet!
Click here  to to watch the children dance.
Then it is the boys turn.
They perform a dance that is only done by men.
Click here to watch the boy's dance.
Then the band is introduced and the main dance starts.
We are surprised to see that they all seem to know how to dance to this music .....
Click here to watch the adults' dance.
The band is quite good and we enjoy it.
Click here to watch the band playing Pajara Campana.
After at least 2 hours of solid playing the band leaves and a guitarist / singer starts entertaining.
Click here to view the singer.
We are introduced to the local food.
In the kitchen the assado is being prepared.
Also locro is cooked, some kind of a stew with beans, potatoes, squash and all sorts of meat in it.
....... locro ................................ Choripan, a chorizo in a French stick with tomato and salad ........... a sweet desert .....
The club goes for cordero (lamb) and Ruedi joins in.
It is a great evening.
We get to meet a lot of friendly people, are offered a sip of mate (which is a welcome-sign), can watch the young gauchos all dressed up in their gaucho gear ....
We leave the party around midnight but we can hear the music until at least 4 AM.
On Sunday morning the gauchos get ready to ride home.
They had slept in a bard.
Slowly people start appearing from their tents.
The first thing they do is: drink a mate!
What the coffee is in the western world is the Mate in Argentina.
We climb the nearby rocks to get a good view of the valley below and also of the festival area.
On Saturday the gauchos had competed against each other in various skill tests.
On Sunday some more competitions are planned.
The PA system that was used in the tent last night is now loaded onto a pickup truck and being used for the competition.
But many gauchos already leave.
Some have a few hours of riding ahead of them to get home.
The 4x4 club comes for a visit and to inspect the OKA ....
Claudio, Gustavo, Eduardo, Sergio, Juan, Humberto (Cubano) and Nicolas
....
We promise to visit them in Cordoba next time we are in the vicinity.
Thanks Gustavo for inviting us to this great event!
On the way out of the park we pass some guanacos.
The road down the pass into the valley is again very good and the views just great!
We reach the valley and the road gets narrower.
We cross through many little villages
and the travelling speed is slow.
We wonder how this must be during the main tourist season .....
After Villa Dolores we change to the Ruta 20 and finally have a wide road again.
We look for a spot for the night but it is difficult.
Either there are fences or the tracks leaving the main road lead to houses.
Finally we find one and settle in for a siesta (it is hot with 32°C) and some computer work.
On Monday we continue travelling west on the Ruta 20 past Quines and Lujan.
The country is flat again.
Some 70 km later we reach some mountains again.
Here we deviate south onto the Ruta 147 and the Parque Nacional de las Quijadas.
Together with the Parque Provincial Ischigualasto and the Parque Nacional Talampaya the Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas represents an area where paleontological excavations unearthed dinosaur tracks and fossils.
They belong to the driest areas in Argentina.
They also have some spectacular formations.
The park is really cheap.
We pay 10 Pesos and
can stay as long as we want in the camping area.
They offer shade, toilets but no drinking water or power.
But for us that is perfect.
We decide to stay for a few days.
There are a few walks in the park that can be done by everybody.
And there is a 2-hour walk ("Sendero Guanacos") that requires a permit.
We get the permit for tomorrow.
In the later afternoon we wait until the buses have left the park and then walk to the Sendero Miradores del Potrero de la Aguada.
It is not too hot and very pleasant walk.
The red mountains look very nice in the afternoon sun.
It is a very dry area and the plants have adjusted to it.
We are surprised to see flowers in bloom.
Then we get the first view of the red walls and just go WOW!
They are magnificent.
On the way back to the car we
a funny looking animal.
We are informed that it related to the hare which is obvious when it starts "running", always lifting either the two front or the two back legs off the ground.
On Tuesday morning we leaver around 9 AM for the Sendero Guanacos walk.
On the way we observe the plants.
There are many different cacti and also a plant they call Chaguar, some of them still in bloom.
We also come past some guanacos ....
... Susi's flowers ......
... a cactus "looking" out from his "home" .... a thorny heart .... called cactus-Susi; very lovely but sometimes a bit prickly :-)
As Ruedi reaches a crest suddenly he has a Cóndor (Vultur gryphus) right beside himself.
We can watch the birds as they fly around, very pretty .....
Then we reach the end of the walk .... the red walls!
We are much closer than on the walk yesterday.
They are just amazing.
Then it is time to head back, the sun is quite hot today.
Back in camp Ruedi gets busy and changes the lights of the OKA so that they are permanently on as soon as the ignition is on.
It is law in Argentina to have the lights on all the time and in the past few days we have been lucky that people have told us constantly to switch it on.
On Wednesday we leave towards Mendoza.
On the way out we see red dots on the cacti and wonder what they are .... looks like ripe fruits to us ....
Shortly before Encon we reach a group of busses and a lot of people on the road.
We don't know what it is and keep a bit of distance to it.
It could be soccer fans ..... that would be no problem (it is too early for them to be drunk ....).
It could be a political gathering ...... hmmmm .... rather not .....
We are not the only ones keeping a safe distance to the crowd.
Then Susi goes over to one of the bus drivers and enquires what is happening.
There is a police check point ahead and they are waiting to be checked.
He says we should just drive past slowly what we happily do.
The police are not really interested in us so we get the hell out of here .... we don't like large crowds ....
Shortly after Encon we are stopped at a quarantine check-point.
We have to eat our apples, kiwi and pears and leave the peals in the local bin.
The rest (onion, carrots and squash) is ok.
They don't have fruit flies in Mendoza and this way try to keep them out.
After Encon we reach an area that is covered in red sand dunes.
It looks very much like some parts in Australia .... with the exception of the Aconcagua in the back .....
We also see a vehicle that at first sight looks like an old Toyota.
It is an Argentina made vehicle, we don't remember its name.
We decide to drive past Mendoza and take the Ruta 7 to Cacheuta where there is supposed to be a nice thermal spring where one can camp.
On the way much to Susi's delight we pass a shopping centre with a Jumbo.
We shop till we drop and can even pay with the credit card.
We have an issue with our Visa card as it only has a chip and not the magnetic band.
Argentina is not used to chips yet so many times the Visa is not accepted.
Also be careful with the prices of cheese.
As soon as it is imported it is prohibitive expensive.
We bought a small portion of a Boursin-like cheese for 33 pesos.
When we checked the price per kg it boiled down to 416 Pesos (= 82 US$).
As comparison 1 kg of chicken breast costs 46 Pesos .....
The local cheeses which are not bad cost much less.
We follow the Ruta 7 towards Cacheuta.
On the way we see many Swiss and German restaurants and hotels.
There are also a few so called "campgrounds" that don't look too inviting ....
Suddenly we reach the dead end of the road with a turning circle, souvenir stalls, restaurants and a lot of people.
This is not really what we want. Further up the valley is now a dam.
So we turn around and head a bit back to the Complejo Helvetia, where they rent cabinas.
We ask for the owner and ask him if we can stand on his property for the night.
Bruno offers a spot behind his fence, some water, electricity and even a WiFi.
This is good for us as we want to work on the web page.
Bruno and his family are form the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
He moved to Argentina with his family. Adrian and Diego have returned to Switzerland to become chefs by trade and are now back to run the family business.
So if you fancy some nice Swiss food go and visit them.
Bruno also explains that the Ruta 7 towards Chile branches off now some 5 km further south.
The old Ruta 7 had been closed after Cacheuta in the year 2000 when the dam further up the road was finished.
So much for up-to-date guide books (Polyglot and Reise Know-How are wrong in their 2011 edition!).
One would think that the main arterial road from Mendoza to Chile would be accurate in books like this!
Anyway, we stay at the Complejo for a few days.
We have many mails to answer and also needed some time to work on the pictures of the ship trip from Hamburg to Montevideo.
Susi had been in contact with the LandRover Club of Mendoza for some time already to get some local information regarding Argentina's laws and regulations as well as some local spare parts availability.
As the OKA's "ancestor" is a LandRover Forward-Control the LandRover community always understands our problem ........
The club has a "Salida" (= outing) planned for Sunday and invites us to it.
We agree to come but we also tell them that we will not be able to come along in the OKA as it is too heavy for any serious off-roading.
"No worries" is the reply, they will find space in one of their vehicles for us and also there would be enough meet at the assado!
So on Sunday morning, March 10, we leave the Complejo Helvetia and drive down to the turn-off of Ruta 7 from Ruta 40.
The weather is not good, the roads are wet.
We wonder if the outing will be held ....
But they are all there and soon after we are on the way up the Ruta 7 for approx. 50 km.
There we leave the bitumen and drive to a large bridge where we leave the
OKA for the day.
We can drive with Carlos in his red HiLux.
Yes, they also have 2 Toyotas in the LandRover club.
Carlos tells us that the Salidas with the LandRover Club are more interesting and fun.
Ok, let's see .....
Matias, with a Defender 90, explains that they are exploring routes for the Argentina-wide get-together in June (20.-23.).
The group is really used to some wild driving ..... including the repairs that come with it .....
Click here to view the movie of this section.
As we drive the grade of the difficulty rises.
Click here to view the movie of this section.
There is no great difference in the way the vehicles handle the terrain.
"Huevo" is an especially wild driver, nothing is too difficult for him and his Disco ....
Susi still has some time to explore the sights .....
Then we reach a rock-area where Ruedi and Susi both think that this is not really made for cars .....
.... and not all make it .... the Defender snatches a rear drive shaft and has to be winched up the step, much to the amusement of the rest .
Click here to view the Defender breaking a drive shaft.
Carlos is a very cautious driver .... he too makes it without damaging his car.
Huevo makes it with some speed .....
... Cristian too lets the rubber burn .....
Dario's Disco has a fancy bar that is a bit of a hindrance .....
... and takes a beating ............ as well as his coil springs .....
Susi finds some time for nature ........ and some nice grasshoppers .....
After some more wild driving everybody is hungry.
Time for an assado!
Then the group decides to go down the steps they came up ....
Click here to view the movie of the descent.
With a bit of track building they all make it.
They even think that down was easier than up, but it needs more courage because one cannot see the track in front of the car!
We had a fun day!
Thanks guys for taking us along!
The club tells us that we should continue on Ruta 7 for a few km and then head down to one of the miradores of the Embalse Potrerillos where we could stay for the night.
That's what we do and this is the end of the first journal about South America.
We love it!
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