Tandil: Oh yes there are hills in the province of Buenos Aires.

December 28, 2010

The wind rose last night swaying the treetops, bringing down leaves and big bits of bark on the tent. As I lay underneath, I was thinking, what if a rotten branch should break and fall on the tent? What an awful thing to happen.

Breakfast was porridge made less boring with vanilla flavoured yogurt, and tea. It was good to be on the road early. This morning, there was a dark bank of cloud which met the horizon of hay fields and wheat stubble. A Few drops of rain hit me but I didn't let it worry me too mush as I could see broken cloud ahead of me.

The countryside was no longer flat, low gentle hills could be seen ahead. And farther, the outline of a mountain ridge was visible as a grey shape amongst the clearing cloud. Soon too, the road began to feel the effect of this new lumpy landscape. It rose gently and before long the road past through a valley with the mountain ahead now pale green with bare grey rocky crags and outcrops.

I reached Tandil at eleven just as it was warming up, where I now sit and write in a YPF service station having spent an incredible amount on a cup of coffee and sandwich. And then the wifi doesn't work.

I am wondering is there a hostel here, there are lots of camping-sites but a hostel can work out just as cheap when wi fi and a kitchen is taken into account.

I find out there are two hostels, I opted for the one close to the plaza in an old roomy town house with a really big garden at the back. I am the only one here so I've got a room to myself.

Tandil claim to fame is Cerro La Movediza, or hill of the moving rock. The rock that moved, balanced precariously on a sloping rock crag on a hilltop until it fell in 1912. In 2005 a replica of the fallen rock was placed on the hilltop. Looking at it today, it seems to have cement around the base so it doesn't fall too.

The new rock put in place where the old one fell from in 1912.

The fallen rock in the bottom right corner.

The hill has steps and walkway for the many visitors.

I laugh when I often read in Lonely Planet, a place described as a village or small town and then you arrived to fine a place bigger than an average Irish or UK city. Tandil is a city, it fills the whole valley and sprawls into the neighbouring valley.

Today's ride: 79 km (49 miles)
Total: 7,579 km (4,707 miles)

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