September 8, 2010
Across the water.: Leaving Argentina.
Tue 7th Sept. Colon del Uruguay.
Again I'm awake around six thirty. The birds singing reminded me of my first camping experience on the East coast of England during a cycle tour back in May 1998, when I relised the value of camping in bringing me closer to nature, living by sunrise and sunset, things we're removed from by modern housing. Today I would've liked to be moving on across the bridge to Uruguay but I still had much work to do on my journal and besides Colon is a nice town. There are no shortage of cafes with wifi not that I need leave the camping site as there's wifi there too.
Things were allot more simpler back in 98, then I didn't use the Internet. I cycled every day never taking a day off, covering around 650kms a week, where as now it's allot less, three to four hundred Ks per week. I suppose I now realize the importance of lingering in some places which are interesting or just pretty as the likelihood of being back usually are slim.
My Shimano hollowtech bottom bracket is now at the stage where it'll soon need new bearing as I can rock the cranks a good four millimetres from side to side. It's a wonder I can ride without the chain slipping. So this morning I intented taking it to the bike shop I'd seen on the way into town yesterday, but when I got there the shop only dealt in street and children's bikes. The proprietor however proved helpful. He said his friend also had a bike shop four blocks away. He even saved me wasting any more time by phoning. Antonio his friend on the other side of the line sounded doubtful by the expressions and replies of the shop proprietor. 'No nada' so the phone call ended. I said I's going to Uruguay next. 'Oh' said the proprietor, he told me there was a Trek dealer in Paysandu which is the first city in Uruguay and wrote the name of the shop on a piece of paper. So tomorrow I'll check it out. It will mean another slow day but at lease it's better than being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Wed 8th Sept. Colon to Paysandu. 21kms
It always takes allot longer to decamp when you've stayed in a town a couple of days. Everything is out of the bags and strewn around everywhere, so consequently it was nine thirty allot later than I would've liked when I got away this morning. After cycling over the long bridge over Rio Uruguay I went through the normal border routine. I cycled the tranquil riverside route into Paysandu and after visiting tourist info found the bike shop but I've got to wait till four thirty until it opens. Meanwhile I've been to an ATM. I've been told the exchange rate is 5 to 1 Uruguayan pesos to Argentinian pesos which is perhaps something like 30 to 1 sterling or 25 to a Euro.
When the bike shop opened they didn't seen to have any customers so could do the job of replacing the bearings at once. It only required replacing two rulleman hard bushings not throwing away the whole bottom bracket like the bracket that the bike came with and the cartridge system which was popular for many years.
I saw a municipal camping site on the way into town by the riverbank which I returned to this evening but didn't see anybody about so it'll perhaps be free in any case I didn't trust leaving the tent or anything there unattended so the bike is locked outside the cafe.
On leaving Argentina my lasting impressions are it's a vast country with many hopelessly boring flat Provinces where there's nothing of interest for the visitor. But there's also Provinces such as Salta where the landscape is outstanding. The province of Entre Rios is pleasant rolling countryside, nice for cycling. It's probably mush the same as Uruguay which I'll see soon enough tomorrow.
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Today's ride: 21 km (13 miles)
Total: 1,688 km (1,048 miles)
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