July 3, 2016
Week Off Doing Nothing: Well Not Exactly
A week now in Salta. But, as this will be my last ever time here, I may as well take my time; and in any case, I came down with the cold, the coughing kind, after the soaking I got last Saturday (25 Jun). Perhaps not helped by lack of fruit and veg, ie Vit C in the diet in the days riding the loop in the province of Salta. Though with lots of rest, I've recovered now.
Oh, the bike suffered too. The rims both front and rear got a good buffing by worn out brake-pads. The rims which were in fairly new condition before, don't look so nice now, but the important thing is neither rim is worn to the point were the metal is so thin that the rim will soon bulge out and split. And I keep my fingers crossed they've enough wear left to last the remainder of this tour. Anyway, I'll always carry spare brake-pads from now on.
I've checked into the same hostel, which I stayed in for the first time in 2006. I have many happy memories from Salta and the hostel back then. There was a lot more life in the place then. Nowadays however, its a shadow of its former self. I think what has happened is that it is a 1990s hostel, which hasn't kept pace with change.
Monday though, a touring cyclist turns up and checks in.
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His name Leendert, from Holland.
It is good to talk to another cyclist for a change, who can relate to a touring cyclist, and not be asked questions which non-cycling people ask. The worse frequently asked question I'm asked is "Why did you decide to do this?" answer, I dunno. But I don't say that.
The hostel still does a Saturday evening barbecue, which is one thing. Sitting opposite me at the dinner table is a young couple from Manchester, Joe and Stephanie, with ascents which are good to listen to, though, I had to ask Stephanie to repeat something four times, because I had no idea what she was on about.
She was saying "It would be terrible to be taken by some smallians...." but, what is that last word. I envisaged extraterrestrials.
To put the sentence in context, sitting next her is Max, a young man from Devon, who joined the army to see the world by being sent to Afghanistan, but shortly after joining, Britain stopped its involvement there and he realised it wasn't through the army he would see the world, so left and is now traveling on what he's saved.
So Max says, I love South America. Its certainly better than Afghanistan, and Stephanie goes, ugh Afghanistan! it would be terrible to be taken by some smallians, meaning Somalian kidnappers.
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There is quite a bit more I could write about my final stay in Salta, but I'm preparing to get back on the road tomorrow.
I have been to the bike shop to pick up some spares, namely a 10speed chain, which I thought would cost a fortune in Argentina, but only come to 370 pesos (£18.50), so that wasn't bad. Also, brake-pads and a gear-cable, which is the sort of thing that can suddenly snap leaving me stuck in an inappropriate gear somewhere far from anywhere.
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