I quite like my desert campsite. I was out of the tent soon after dawn. Small birds sang amongst the rocks or roosting in the low bushes. And it's nice having little dwarf cactus around about. Soon, long distinct shadows were cast including of myself, bike and tent as sunlight broke and spread from the horizon. And I felt sorry, this was my last morning waking up thus. Having no longer the stove, breakfast was meager, porridge Oats in cold water and a few slugs of water whereas I'd normally drink tea.

It was all of 65kms to the city of San Juan on the famous Route 40. The itinerary was at first a plain bordered by dry hills of which the road ascended over a low one descending down the other side with the sight of the seemingly endless pampas ahead where it seems one can see the Earth's curvature itself on the fuzzy horizon. I dropped down past a great big hole on the left with spoil dug from beneath the ground and heaped up around it's circumference: a mine which seems the main industry in this dry dusty Provence. I soon saw the dense layer of smog; a yellowy snot colour which hung low over the city as I got ever nearer. And soon too there was the littered detritus which is normal when approaching human habitation with all sorts of junk, old recked cars and general household rubbish scattered willy-nilly through the desert. And then there are industrial parks and the first of a long line of rough Third World satellite villages. Gradually too there was a build-up in traffic including smoke belching buses (no wonder the air is so filthy).

Thirsty and hungry as I was, there were no shops to stop at until Is well into the city where Is glad to see an YPF service-station and assurance of a decent cup of coffee and a distraction while I edit and upload photos.

Later: on reaching the city-centre, congestion having slowed up traffic notwithstanding, there still exists great danger as drivers do anything to get ahead. The biggest one danger are buses whose drivers seemingly don't pay much attention to the non-drive side inside of the vehicle which too often pass a little close for comfort where I cycle by the curb. It's important too to be extremely weary when pulling out to pass parked cars as drivers here drive with tunnel vision without consideration for hazards that just maybe coming into their path from the side; a lack of common sense really.

As is usual, I cycled to and fro quite awhile trying to first find the info centre. That done and with a plan of the city it was easy to find a hostel where after a shower and a sort out I sat down to think of the immediate future. After a relaxed hour or so, I decide to replace the stove and continue cycling inasmuch as I wish to finish in Salta whereby having the great satisfaction of having completed a loop finishing where I began.