November 25, 2015
Impetuous: Route 22, km1121 to Neuquen.
It is written in the tourist brochure "in the Mapuche language, Neuquén means 'daring, impetuous, arrogant'." Which I read sitting here in a hostel "Punto Patagonico" in abovementioned city, Neuquén, capital of namesake province, on the confluence of Rio Limay and Rio Neuquén.
Daring, impetuous and arrogant, could well describe my route planning in getting here. Route 22 had become a friend, the wind kept a low-profile and thunderstorms stepped gently around me. That is until it all goes pear-shaped. The traffic became a nightmare further on.
Mind I camped in a roadside grove of trees just out of Chichinales, and the road had became dual-carriageway before town, which are safe roads. They may not be the most scenic, but generally they are wide with an ample paved shoulder.
Anyway, I continue on the smooth shoulder of the dual-carriageway for ten kilometres until the larger town of Villa Regina, the road carrying on as an urban bypass, albeit with regular stops for traffic lights. Then shortly after leaving town, begins major road widening. Route 22 hereon, still building dual-carriageway. This isn't the worse to happen; that would come later. There are signs "Obra en construction. Velocidad Max 40km" and the traffic pass between rows of orange cones. And for most of the way I ride either on new unopened tar road, or old tarmac road outside the cone corridor safely away from traffic, which is a steady flow of heavy trucks and cars. The traffic away heavier than yesterday, particularly the amount of cars. Not a problem while I ride along the unopened road, occasionally having to crossover through the traffic from the right side to the left; instants where, the feasible way ends, but there'll be a feasible way the other side.
The only lamentable thing at this point is all the kilometre boards, showing distance from Buenos Aires are gone; distance markers I like to see, the verge scraped to sub-soil and generally anything that is pleasant is gone, leaving just a brown avenue between tall stands of popular. And also airborne grit and dust stirred up by digging machines. The air has become noticeable dryer as I continue west away from the damp humidity of the ocean, toward the aridity of the Andes cloud shadow, so dust lingers and skin becomes dry and irritable.
Then, the inevitable happens. The road works come to an end and I'm on a shoulder-less single-carriageway with all the extra traffic there hitherto hadn't been the previous day. Though the verge to the side remained scrapped in preparation for road widening to move on this far.
The amount of trucks is much the same as yesterday, but the cars are constant, meaning, when a two or three truck convoy comes along from behind, they are often boxed in by cars overtaking on the outside, resulting in no space to move out when passing me. So I ride continually glancing over my shoulder and when trucks come, I ride off onto the scrapped verge, which is shattered with loose stones and consequentially, I've to keep the front wheel straight, as sudden turning will cause me to skid and come off.
Its not far to General Roca, where at the turn off roundabout for town is a Petrobras and an YPF service station. I choose the later, spend twenty-eight of my remaining hundred pesos on a big bottle of cola, then find the wifi doesn't work. And I don't get my now daily chore of uploading photos to a journal page for the previous day done.
Things only get worse from hereon, as another road come in from the north at General Roca, increasing traffic volume on the remaining forty kilometres to Neuquén.
The trucks are blaring their horns in warning, get off the road out of the way. I ride off on the stones to the side about every couple of hundred metres to let them by. I get a fair distance until I give in and decide this is too dangerous and so, continue riding on the loose stones verge, a chaos of fist-sized stones, my wheels sliding and skidding sideways on them; until, I come to a regular vehicle track, the vehicle wheels having cleared the stones somewhat. Here I'm able to ride at a modest jogging pace.
The day remaining still and having turned out warm by early afternoon, when I gladly reach Neuquén, feeling really grimy. There's a cycle-path for a bit, mainly so cyclists can safely cross a long iron bridge over Rio Neuquén; then 22 becomes a wide avenue in and pass the city-centre.
I have to keep my cool when trying to withdrawn cash at one bank's ATM. My card slides out the slot and the message on the screen is "You cannot use your card in this machine"
On the way to another bank, I'm passing a tourist information office, so I call in, because there is one particular bank, whose ATMs always work, so I want to ask the location of a branch. But doing so, I ask the girl at the desk general information, like locations of hotels, which she rings the street with the most on a city plan. And, mentions there's a hostel, "mas economico.." she recommends. She marks the bank branch I'm looking for. There I use an ATM, but no joy. The card is ejected and there come up on the screen, the same message as there was at the other bank earlier.
What am I going to do now, I say as I walk back from the cash machine despondently, then I somehow think, I'll try one of the other machines. I do. What a relieve I feel then on hearing the cash shuffling noise within, followed by the hatch opening and banknotes gently sliding out.
I check into the hostel the tourist office girl marked on the map for two nights, as I need a break after today.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
The tourist brochure goes on to mention Neuquén's dramatic contrasting scenery, from wine and fruit growing valley and desert steppe in the east, to mountain and lake and thermally active volcanos in the west of the province.
Neuquén is also where I began my first tour in South America back in 2004, and so, I'm looking forward to the ride on from here as seeing that road again.
Not being in no hurry however, I've paid for a third night at the hostel, as there isn't time to do laundry, keep the journal and possibly relax all in one day.
This afternoon, I gave the bike a wipe down with a damp cloth, oiled the chain and saw to the gear-lever, which has been disagreeable on the road, the unit coming loose and sliding out of the handle-bar-end. My fault, as I didn't tighten it enough. It's a fiddle job with the lever and the small bits that keep it indexing having to be taken apart to get at the lock-nut.
Today's ride: 107 km (66 miles)
Total: 1,444 km (897 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |