Already four months on the road, we're at a turning point of our trip.
Already four months on the road, we're at a turning point of our trip. Tomorrow we'll ride to San Antonio de Los Cobres and Paso de Sico, and then say goodbye to Argentina. We'll also start passing passes and high altitude. For all this, we draw a little summary of our first four months.
Physical health
Cyclists that we hosted in Finland told us "no need for prior training, the first fifteen days of the trip is the training". We arrived at Ushuaia without the legs for the effort, especially for me. At the beginning, we were doing 50 km on tracks and 70 km on tar. We are now able to do 60-70 km on the track, and 80-100 km on tar.
Each of us have things we like less. François doesn't like long days, as well as approaching the cities. I don't like the wind at all, and I dread the hills. On the other hand, we both love descents.
Mood and morale
Everything is fine on this side. Being around the middle of the trip makes us think and allows us to introspect ourselves. We think a lot about our return.
Of course we had some downs, especially during important stages, for example at Christmas when we knew our families together. In these moments, Skype isn't enough.
We are very happy to be a couple. We see a lot of lonely cyclists, who seem to be bored and who really want to talk. Sharing such a trip, moreover with the person we love, creates bonds even stronger than the common life and a great complicity due to the difficulties. I'm thinking here of Ranquil Norte's episode with the story of the horsefly, but also of all the other unforeseen events.
The equipment
Overall we are very happy with our equipment. Bicycles, which are now in maintenance, had only superficial scratches (mainly when we put them in pickups or buses) and not even a puncture! The tipi, the sleeping bags, the mattresses give complete satisfaction. We had a mattress leak in Mendoza, but we managed to locate the hole and apply a patch. The stove requires regular cleaning, but everything is normal for a fuel stove.
Our main concerns were electronic, one of the e-reader was broken during the first month and our laptop from the beginning is now in Finland.
Our only real problem is due to the water filter. The one from the start (a Katadyn Hiker Pro) had a manufacturing defect. And since Punta Arenas, we have tried to look for another one similar but with no luck. We bought a poor replacement which allows us to filter a little bit of water (2 liters per hour). We don't despair of finding another one.
Everything is a little less new and lustrous, but still very functional and not yet broken.
What we preferred
The roads in their vast majority have been beautiful and pleasant. But if we have to make a choice of our favorite routes:
- The Carretera Austral, Chile: even if the road is not grandiose during the 1000 kilometers, they are often beautiful, sometimes splendid (the Lago General Carrera), with little traffic. This is also where we had the best wild camping spots.
- Very special days: The Canyon del Atuel (before San Raphael, Argentina), the Quebrada de Las Conchas (after Cafayate, Argentina), to see the penguins in Tierra del Fuego (Chile), the road in Argentina between Paso Icalma and the Paso Pino Hachado, the climb of Camino del Año (Mendoza, Argentina)
- National Park Los Glaciares (with Perito Moreno, Argentina), Torres del Paine (Chile), Talampaya Canyon (Argentina)
- The excursion to Humahuaca, with the mountain with 14 colors and Purmamarca
About gastronomy, we were very pleasantly surprised by the sweetness of the cactus fruit, and the good taste of the goat meat. Cheeses are better in Chile, but meat is better in Argentina (soon, an article dedicated to food).
We enjoyed sharing with our three different Warmshowers hosts (in San Raphael, Mendoza and Tafi del Valle), all of whom were very kind, friendly and with whom we learned a lot about culture and life in Argentina.
We love our trip. When we do our assessment, we realize how far we have come. But there is so much to see in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador that we are eager to continue. See you in four months!