I just wanted to post a quick note to assure everyone that I am, in fact, still alive and posting and biking.  I took a tiny break in Quebec for the holidays, so I sort of put the blog and biking on temporary hold at that time, but I am back in Chile and looking forward to a visit to a winery in the next week or so… and then another crossing of the Andes!   Uh oh.

Also, I’ve been negligent about replying to comments, but a big “Thank You” to everyone who leaves a comment and I do read all of them!

I have spent much of the last week getting from Argentina to Chile.  I love crossing borders - it’s always fun and exciting to see the subtle changes in supermarkets, signs, road quality, peoples’ attitudes, and of course there’s the new passport stamp!  Very exciting.
Continue reading Getting to Chile

After arriving in Bariloche, I was largely without plan. All I knew was that I didn’t want to head into the wind anymore! I decided to spend a few days just relaxing, get a handle on the weather and wind direction and possible nice rides, and eventually start on the trip planning.
Continue reading Bariloche: Lazy Days and Beautiful Views. And Chocolate.

While crossing from the eastern side to the western side of Argentina, there was a lot of emptiness.  Much of the way was desert, without a lot except sand, dirt, and fencepost along the side of the road.  Every 40 to 80km would be a tiny town, many barely surviving, eking out a living from the farmers living nearby.  These towns usually had only the most basic of amenities - maybe a  tienda or restaurant, a little pension run by an enterprising woman, and a place for the new bus linking Viedma to Bariloche to stop.

Ramos Mexia was one such town.  The day before, the woman running the pension shrugged when I asked what there was on the road ahead.  “A very small town” she warned me.  Riding into the town late the next day (with two other cyclists from New Zealand) I couldn’t help but agree.  Definitely not a lot going on… or so we assumed
Continue reading Fiesta Time!

 Well, I’ve broken my first resolution of website maintenance: update frequently!  Fortunately, this time I sort of had an excuse… I was crossing the great barren plains and deserts of Argentina, and internet was near impossible to be found for almost two weeks.  Fighting the constant headwind, wearing out my bicycle on impossibly bad “ripio” roads, enjoying fiestas, rodeos, and dances in very rural Argentina, and even pitching my tent one night in a schoolyard, I hadn’t had much time for internet.
Continue reading Crossing the Country: From the Pampas to the Mountains

So, my interview went reasonably well (or at least as well as I could hope, since it was all in Spanish!) and I actually found the write-up on the internet, for anyone who is interested in practicing their Spanish.
Continue reading Interview Results, Etc.

A few days ago, I stayed in Necochea with a contact I had made through this blog… guess it is good for something after all! Katie, an American ex-pat, lives there with her fiance, Daniel, and his family.  

 Necochea is a neat and tidy little tourist town, lying on the beach but quite cold still at the moment (or perhaps only for people like me with defective body temperatures) - I really enjoyed my time there.  This had a lot to do with the company, of course - being able to bore everyone else with my stories is always a good time for me!!

Katie and Daniel took me to see the sea lions in the port, out to an amazing steak restaurant, to multiple ice cream parlors (mmm, I was able to choose my favorite!) and to a candy store in the town center, even the beach!  I was able to try the infamous Argentinean pizza.  Perhaps best of all, Daniel’s mother cooked a couple of “muy rico” meals for the family, which temporarily included me. 

I’m always a little surprised by the hospitality I encounter as I travel.  It keeps my faith in humanity high, but it also means I’ve built up an impossibly high debt of kindness and favors that I can’t possibly come close to evening out in a lifetime.  Katie and Daniel’s family was just one example of a place where I was welcomed like a member of the family - I always appreciate this, especially being so far away from my own. To be a part of something, rather than just a solitary traveller, always makes a country feel a bit more like home.

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Also, tonight I received my second request for a TV interview!  Weee!  This time there won’t be a Spanish interpreter, so hopefully it all goes well.  Cross your fingers for me tomorrow morning.

I haven’t written much about the candy of Argentina yet.  Candy bars, ice cream, and dulce de leche are all very popular here (mmm!) but probably the most common and distinctively Argentinean sweet is the alfajor.  Alfajores are usually pretty simply constructed - a few cookies layered together with fillings of dulce de leche, jam, chocolate, peanut butter, etc.  Often dipped in white or dark chocolate, sometimes covered in coconut shavings or powdered sugar, I find these at gas stations and sandwich shops everywhere.  The one in the picture had two layers, one of chocolate and one of peanut butter.  Yum, just the energy I needed!
Continue reading Alfajores in Argentina

I pass through a lot of small towns.  Normally, when I’m there, it goes something like this:  I bike in, bike around, look around, maybe make some small talk, and bike out the next day.  In General Alvear, things were a little different.  For one, everyone in this tiny town was super friendly, from the kids to the store owners to the people waiting in the restaurant.  For another, I guess there wasn’t much going on because the local news station decided to interview me!
Continue reading Small Town Life