Ok, so it has been a while since we last wrote… ok,ok it has been 14 days of lounging 😉 we have been relaxing and reflecting on the last six months of our lives. Below are some stories since we last left you in Ushuaia.
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Ushuaia, Argentina
Our time in Ushuaia was spent relaxing in the campground, making new friends, and catching up with old met at various places in our travels down South America! A friend of mine, Josh, from community college happened to be making a visit to Argentina for some fishing as well as an expedition to Antarctica. We spent time with Josh, hiking up to a glacier and paroosing the town, including the docks in search of a sailboat headed for the land of ice. Unfortunately the 28 day sailing excursions weren’t leaving anytime soon, which didn’t fit Josh’s schedule, and we departed before he had made a decision on what he was going to do. (Update: he made it to Antartica and sounds like he had a fantastic time playing with the glaciers!)
We all spent the evenings sharing food and conversation overlooking the windy whitecapped waters of the Drakes Passage. In addition to spending time with Josh, we got to know some other cyclists that were staying in the campgrounds.
During our 5 months of cycling we have met cyclists from Australia, France, Switzerland, Japan, Romania, Poland, Holand, Slovenia, South Africa, Lithuania, Belgium, England, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Germany, and of course our homeland USA. But of all the cyclists we have passed, whether totting a three year-old, or traveling for nearly 5 years, a couple we met from Phoenix, Arizona had a journey that stood out to us the most.
Tauru and Christi, or the twosome from TwoBlindToRide as they will be known, are both legally blind and were anxiously awaiting their departure for what will be around a 2 and half year journey to Alaska. We had heard about this couple from our cycling friends, Yannick and Shirley, who had met them climbing in Joshua Tree a few years back, and we were hoping we were going to cross paths with them at some point before our Ushuaia finish.
The beginnings of their trip have already thrown a few curveballs as they have been awaiting their tandem bicycle for over a month. They were mislead when they arrived at the airport, which caused them to miss their flight as they had to ship their oversized bike instead of fly it. This shipping then had a huge hiccup when it arrived in Buenos Aires as Argentina would not release the bike because of improper documentation. They have battled and argued and unfortunately paid fees before getting a customs agent who tied up the loose ends, and let their bike free.
As of January 18th they are officially bound for Alaska. We wish you so much luck and hope to see you on the road when you pass through the states. Support and follow along at www.twoblindtoride.org (“Like” them on facebook to help in their cause).
~Justino
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Tierra del Feugo… on Feugo
We said our farewells and set out to spend what might be one of our final nights camping alongside a peaceful stream just 10 km outside the town limit. That evening Melissa commented that she smelt smoke and when we asked someone if they had heard news of a fire they stated that it was BBQs. When we woke up we knew this to be a different story as once again we found ourselves riding in a thick blanket of smoke.
The westerly winds were carrying the cloud our direction but when we doubled back to climb the Garibaldi pass, we thought we would have some relief. We ate lunch atop the most southernly pass on our adventure and looking out at what was an incredible view of two lakes on the way in, we knew that riding in these conditions could not be healthy. We had already committed to riding and catching rides if needed so the decision to see if we could get a lift was not difficult. But the actual process was a different story. We waited for over 2 hours trying to flag down cars with our bandana-covered faces, while cars often failed to recognize us.
A few kind souls pulled over to make sure we didn’t need water, but most simply didn’t have room for two bicycles. With our patience thin, and our eyes burning, we were greeted by two Germans, Senta and Christian, who have been traveling in a rented motorhome/ camper. They said we could try and fit us in the back, and I knew this was our ticket, so with our bags and bikes stuffed in the camper, we snuggled up for a few hours ride to the Argentine border. But not without a stop, of course. We made sure to tell them that we would buy some treats if we could pull off at the Tolhuin bakery. Jorge, one of a couple friends we met, was working, and he was excited to see us but not as excited as us to walk out with a bag of goodies, including empanadas, cheese balls, cookies, pastries, and alfajores (caramel-like filled cookie sandwich).
We spent the night in the same waiting room but this time we had company of two Japanesse cyclists. We shared a few stories before passing out after what turned out to be an exhausting trip, little did we know this was just the first leg of a lengthy trip to the capital, Buenos Aires, our departure city.
~Justino
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A final visit to Chile
While waiting at the Argentina border we were greeted with the famous strong winds and the likes of a dusty road, we agreed that a ride was the best option to continue on to Buenos Aires, our final destination on this trip. We had a bit easier of a location to ask for a ride, versus being trapped on the top of a mountain pass in smoke, as we could ask face to face and have a better chance of someone going across the Magellan Straight to Rio Gallegos, Argentina. We chose to ask only pickup drivers since they were most likely to accept and fortunately it didn’t take long before two gentleman working on a fiber-optics cable installation project obliged but said they had to make a detour back to Punta Arenas to straighten out something with a Chilean bank. We were just happy to be in a secure car, out of the harsh elements for a while, so the extra 200 miles didn’t matter that much to us. Turns out, we hit it off quite well with our new friends and they bought us sandwiches at a restaurant. They also spoke terrific English which made our story telling that much easier.
We arrived in Rio Gallegos exhausted from another car ride, it seems that these car trips are wearing us out more than cycling. We headed for the campgrounds, our most expensive yet, and ending up bumping into Ed from Montana, US. The world really is a small place. We first met Ed, the 1st of December, while hiking into Cochamo Valley on the North of the Carretera Austral in Chile. We spent some time chatting about sustainable living, and the trails he has cone down here to help construct for the past 8 years or so.
~Justino
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39 Hours of Sitting
We spent the evening dry from a downpour, tucked away in our cozy tent. When we woke up, we prepared some scrambled egg breakfast sandwiches before purchasing our tickets for our upcoming ride to Buenos Aires. There is only one bus company, Via Tac, that is willing to stow bicycles under the bus, so we really didn’t have a choice in selection. The tickets cost $200 for a one-way, which I thought seemed steep, but the journey is (2600 km) 1500 miles or so, and there really isn’t any other option since high-season is in full-swing and flights are full.
We boarded our bus and departed promptly at 8 pm. When our stewart gave us lap-trays and served us dinner (chicken and potatoes), Melissa commented “This isn’t so bad..,” to which my reply was “Let’s see if you say that tomorrow around the same time.”
Sure enough, after a groggy night of attempting to sleep on semi-reclining seats (called semi-cama), we were served a breakfast of carbohydrates: enriched bread-like muffin, a filled cookie (alfajore), and some crackers. This was followed by the coffee machine calling it quits one person shy of Melissa’s hand and we were already ancy. The views are simply pampas, flat and barren, and the heat was beginning to pick up. By mid-day, the bus was filled with passengers. We did have one stop, for what we were told would be 20 minutes, so that the bus could refill on fuel. It ended up taking twice as long to re-fuel, but nobody seemed to complain. Later we would learn this stop was problematic.
I asked Melissa at the 2/3 mark, with 12 hours remaining, “so what do think now?” We both had a good laugh, and a stretch before our dinner and another terrible film. The problem was that every film that played contained either doomsday feelings, or extreme violence. We felt like prisoners without an option. With swollen ankles, we awoke to the final stop before Buenos Aires, 1 hour remained! This quick drop off was a little different than the rest. We sat on the bus for 30 minutes before I asked what seemed to be the problem. Our driver had gone over on his drive time and they were holding the bus from departure. So close but so far away! We sat for an 1.5 hours, already delayed, without another driver in sight. Finally, they decided to put us on another bus with free space. We moved our baggage, gritting our teeth as they threw our bikes around as if they were headed for the dumps, and soon there after, we were on the move once again! … But not for long, as our bus stopped at a garage to fill fuel once more….. ahhhhhh. Buenos Aires at last, just 3 hours late for a whopping 39 hours of thinking and sitting.
~Justiino
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Magdalena’s Party
Upon arrival, we were greeted by the stifling heat and humidity of Buenos Aires, quite the contrast from Ushuaia. We arranged the bike bags and set off, with our achey bodies and little rest, we navigated the busy streets in search of Palermo. Palermo is a quaint district with lots of shopping, restaurants, ice-cream, and access to the zoo, a small lake, and lots of parks. We were headed for Magdalena’s Party, a restaurant and pub that a friend of mine from college, Sarah, and her brother, Johnny, opened a year ago. They are Canadians who traveled down here and fell in love with the city. They decided to move here, and have partnered with a few local friends to open a chill-cafe serving awesome brunches on weekends. Sarah promised us back in Peru that we had authentic California breakfast burritos awaiting our arrival and she totally delivered. Gigantic, delicious burritos made with fresh guacamole, tortillas, and melt in your mouth cheddar cheese!! To top it off, Sarah treated Melissa to a Mocha and gave me a stack of fresh pancakes made with blueberries and strawberries. The 39 hour bus ride all of a sudden became a faint memory as we gorged foods that brings us back home.
Stay tuned as we will post another blog this weekend detailing some highlights from Buenos Aires.
~ Justino
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