San Blas de Sauce to Cafayate
We depart our slightly 'North Korean' style hotel after a modest breakfast and coffee after Ham has completed some unavoidable corporate machinations. It is reflective of modern life that even in the wilds there is total, effective and inexpensive comms ontap. To be fair to the hotel it was clean and comfortable and did us fine.
Chris departed before the Lagondas and managed to fill up at the garage nearby before the delivery truck arrived and closed petrol sales. The Lagonda's weren't so lucky. Nigel's enormous 140ltr tank ensured that he and Hugo smoothly continued whilst Ham's more modest 80ltr tank ensured that after and hour or so some anxiety began to creep into James and his car. The two Lagonda's travelled in convoy confident that they would catch the Rolls during the morning, but catch it they didn't.
There wasn't a fuel emergency as we found fuel with some 20% of the tank still full. But between Chris' demands for fuel and this small moment of anxiety it reminds us all of the importance of filling up when you can. I'm sure that this lesson is well learnt as we move into Bolivia and Peru.
It was another hot day but the Lagonda's dealt with it all with ease. Driving the car more conservatively reduces the air through the engine bay but it also puts considerably less demand on the engine thus producing less heat. It really is about adjusting one's driving style to the conditions (ethanol in the fuel, ambient heat, size and length of climbs, speed etc etc) seems to have worked wonders.
The Rolls cracked onto the hotel in Cafayte whilst the Lagonda's stopped for a late lunch beside the road about 40km from their destination. The restaurent appeared closed but as Hugo and Nigel went birding the delightful lady produced a delicious lunch of milenese and salad followed by coffee. The coffee was the best we have had and was so good that I had a second and positively bounced back into the car! The area seems to be heaving with all sorts of birds including some sorts of flippers ( a type of wood pecker!). The truth was of course although the Rolls did 'crack on', in reality, it conked out just as it arrived at the hotel.
Quick shower and we found ourselves in the Bad Boys Restaurent which was the recommendation of the hotel receptionist. It turned out to be an inspired one and we had a delicious dinner followed by drinks in the main square. you can see and sense the mkney in tghis part of Argemtina, based I suppose on the vineyards which are extensive in the ares
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