The road to Mendoza - day 1

 

 

We were up and out of our frat house by 7am. Our handy garage was right next door and we soon had all three cars packed up and off we set, weaving our way through the early morning Buenos Aires traffic, everyone as happy as could be to be leaving! First stop an out of town garage for coffee and croissant and a quick chat with enthusiastic locals who immediately came over to take photos of the cars. It is not difficult to get into conversation with people when you are driving an old car - they really are our passports at every stop! Needless to say they always migrate to the blue BJP145!

Once out of BA the true vastness of the pampa becomes apparent. There is mile upon mile of completely flat farm land with enormous fields of maize and soya and the homesteads are cocooned in trees to ward off the brisk cold wind that blows from the south. Conversation flows and the morning passes by in a flash. 

Until, approaching a round about, Chris’ Silver Ghost starts farting and banging with alacrity. Our first fettling stop on the side of the road. As ever Chris approach’s the issue with total calmness, despite telling us that “he hasn’t come across that before”! Oh the wonders of modern communications and two calls to experts in the UK matched with Chris’ amazing mechanical prowess soon had the problem solved (loose nut on the carburettor feeding the idle jet) and once again we were off.

At 1pm, driving into Junin, I smell a BBQ and we immediate pull off the road into a truck stop and entered a large yurt like restaurant. Wow, what a delicious lunch. Fresh buffet salads and a half cooked gaucho dispensing delicious cuts of beef, pork or lamb straight off the charcoal grill. I am a buyer of a £5 Argentine truck stop lunch any day of the year! We make friends with the owner and in no time there are more photos and outside there are people crowding around the cars.

 

Dominic has kindly taken on the thankless task of finding accommodation. Having left BA at such short notice we have nothing planned and our preferred options in Laboulaye are fully booked. Finally he settles on 2 rooms in the 2* roadside Hotel Meditteraneano in Laboulaye. It will be two people in one room and three in the other!

The afternoon flies by with more chat and much more pampa. At about 5pm we arrive at our hotel. Ham, James and Chris have kindly agreed to share one room and Dominic and I are in the other. The rooms are tiny but the sheets and bathrooms are clean. 

We caught a cab into town with a one arm driver. The other arm was resting on the windowsill and holding the telephone to his ear as he chatted to a girl. Halfway through the ride wide smiles and an announcement he had been invited to spend the night with his lady friend! We ate one of the best pizzas ever that evening. Tasty fillings with a very light crispy base.

And so ended the first day on the road....