CYCLING: Falling in love with Argentina, Argentines and their pastries

We have cycled over 7000km and when we get to Buenos Aires we will have cycled the equivalent length of the full South African coast line 3 times! Argentina has been relatively easy cycling due to flat terrain and being a relatively developed country. I love this place but I'm looking forward to tackling Uruguay in the New Year!

Km1010 to Km925: Random acts of kindness
Last night I discovered that when sleeping by a wind break it is probably better to sleep in amongst the trees creating the wind break rather than in the fire break just next to them. Fortunately, the rain forecast did not materialise over night but a very strong wind did. Halfway through the night I woke up with someone was kicking me in the back, well that's what it felt like, but it was just my bag knocking against me as the wind hit the side of my tent. The side of my tent facing the direction in which we were due to cycle the next day had pulled loose from the peg suggesting that there was a rather strong wind coming from that direction. Needless to say I was now quite anxious about cycling into a gale force wind all of the next day and did not sleep much more that night.

By dawn the wind had died down proving yet again that there is no point in stressing over something that hasn't even yet materialise, if only it was easier to convince yourself of this in foresight rather than in hindsight. The road was horrendous as it was a single lane road with lots of traffic so all I wanted to do was get to the turn off down to the coast but that would only be that evening, if we were lucky. Over lunch we needed to restock so we headed a little off the road to the town of El Perdido which is a rather unfortunate name as it literally means 'The Forgotten'.

The town was widely spread out but couldn't have had more than a couple of hundred residence, as usual though it was siesta time so just about no one was about. After much searching we found a shop that was open where we planned to pick up a few veggies. While paying for our veggies the owner threw in a few things for free and as if that wasn't enough he later came running after us with an additional free 2 litres of juice! We hadn't managed to get all the veggies we needed though so we were directed to the only other shop open at this time where where the lady there too threw in a few freebies. Amazed and filled with happiness by all this generosity we went off to find the local bus shelter that we had spotted earlier that day.

The minute we finished making our lunch in the bus shelter it started to bucket down with rain so we decided to see if we could sit it out for a while. We had been sitting in the shelter there on the edge of town for a while when a young couple came along on a motor bike, now soaking wet, and asked if we were ok or if we needed anything. We explained to them that we were ok and were just resting so they set off back into town. I couldn't believe that these 2 had gotten on their bike in the pouring rain just to come and check if we needed anything, I almost wanted to say yes just because they had gone to so much trouble just to come and check on us. Argentina really is the home of random acts of kindness.



The rain never did stop so eventually we set off in the rain adding to the already dangerous road conditions. We didn't make it to the turn off, so now I lie in my tent 20km short with the rain tapping away on my tent. It may be overly hopeful but I hope to wake up to a dry tent and clear skies!

Km925 to Km850: We swim in the Atlantic Ocean
What we didn't realise about our camping spot just behind a decrepit old petrol station was that we were right next to a farm and as a result we were kept up most of the night by what sounded like cows being slaughtered. In the morning we awoke to sunshine and dry tents so that we were incredible grateful for. 25 odd kilometres down the road we turned off the highway and started heading down towards the coast. We had about 20km of tar then the rest would be farm roads down to the the coastal town of Claromecó but first we needed to stop at Copetonas to restock because we feared with a dirt road we may not make the coast by nightfall. The town folk there were friendly and we met a very patriotic little kid explaining to us how he doesn't speak Spanish or Castellano but rather Argentinian. It is true though these Argentines really do speak what sounds like a whole new language, going from 'caye' to 'cashe' for the phonetic pronunciation of road and 'aya' to 'asha' for 'over there' all very confusing when being given directions!



Our map made the route along the dirt roads down to the coast look really easy but what we didn't know is what the map wasn't showing and that was all the other dirt roads criss crossing the ones on the map. This wouldn't have been a problem if there had been more than one sign post along the route however we only ever did see one sign to Claromecó and that was as we headed out of town. Just when we thought we were lost in the maze of dirt farm roads, after having enjoyed were being chased down by some horses in an adjacent field, we saw what looked like an ambulance parked in the middle of nowhere. Once we got closer we saw it was a huge army like autovilla being driven by its German owner down to Patagonia for what looked like a rather pricey over land holiday. An English guy also accompanied them on his dirt bike but what was most entertaining was that his name was also Nick and lived just 40km or so from where Nick lived in the UK. You don't expect to meet crazy travellers like this but you certainly don't expect to meet them on a muddy dirt road between somewhere and nowhere!



After such an exciting morning the afternoon session dragged on a bit and soon Nick decided he was having a sandwich there and then but I figured with the sun already going down I'd sooner rather get to Claromecó in time for a swim and a sundowner than sit on the side of a dusty road so on I went. Ross had said when I saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time I must run and have a swim and that is what I intended to do. Just further down the road the road turned and I could see Claromecó 5km down the road, this just made me just too excited to get to the sea thus covering the last 5km in what felt like minutes!



When I arrived in town I made my way straight down to the beach, locked my bike up to an umbrella, whipped on my swimming costume and ran into the sea. Most of the locals, packing up for the day, stared at me as if I had gone mad but that only added to the experience. Soon after my swim Nick and Mark rolled into town joining me on the beach for a beer as the sun slowly slipped down over the Atlantic Ocean. Although we were now on the east coast of South America the bit of coastline we were on faces south so you can get both a sunrise and sunset at either end of the ocean. The beach at Claromecó is nice enough but the sand although fine is a little dirty and the sea not very clear and slightly chilly but its a beach and a sea which is warm enough to swim in so I was very happy to be there.



We spent the next 2 days enjoying the beach and in town catching up with family on Skype while staying at a nice little camp site on the edge of town. The people were all so friendly and the food, especially the ice-cream and panaderias (bakeries), fantastic but it was just so frustrating not being able to find anything open between 12pm and 5pm as EVERYONE is having a siesta. After having had a fantastic relaxing 2 days and many many facturas (pastries) here I now sit under the pine trees with the wind blowing gently bringing little fluffy seed like things down, waiting in anticipation for our braai of red peepers stuffed with local olives and cheese, and a good Argentinian steak while enjoying a 'glass', actually a metal mug, of delicious Malbec red wine.



Km850 to Km770: Sleeping at police station
After a great couple days in Claromecó we were now heading towards Necochea, our next beach destination, but before heading off we had to stop at the secret panaderia (bakery) for various facturas (pastries) and the most delicious medialunas (croissants or half moons) I have ever tasted-these guys really should go down in some kind of record book. I have never been a big fan of pastries but these Argentines do something to them that makes my taste buds water. Mark tells me that there is a new Argentinian bakery just round the corner from my house in South Africa, now I would never have thought of Argentina as being the home of pastries but apparently it is! Nocochea was now over 130km way so we knew that most of the day would just be making ground so that we could cruise into Necochea early the following day.

As predicted nothing really too exciting happened that day other than getting to witness a rather noisy local test driver driving what looked like a home built racing car. We were still on a back road but this time tar, as we cycled down the road we noticed 100m markings on the road and a crowd of people gathered when suddenly we herd a eardrum popping car come flying past us. It sounded like he was running a lawnmower engine at 1000 times its capacity and the whole car didn't look too stable on the road so I was not too excited to be cycling anywhere near him!



By nightfall we were back on the highway and had resolved ourselves to the fact that we were going to be sleeping pretty much in a ditch on the side of the road. Just when we found a little road running off to the side, which would have been perfect to cycle down a little in order to find a slightly more peaceful place to camp, we saw a police car parked on the turn off. As we cycled past him we asked him if it would be ok to camp there and with much hesitation he queried as to whether or not we planned to make a fire to which we quickly responded with an emphatic no, knowing full well we soon planned to cook dinner on our rather hazardous little gas stoves He said ok but we must go 1km to a bus shelter which could be seen from where we were and there we would find an old school which is now a police station. We cycled on to this school which is now a police station and by the time we got there they had received the news on their CV radio that we were on the way. Now here I lay probably in the safest place we have ever camped with my tent pitched between 2 guard dogs tied to trees on either side of the property, I just hope nothing disturbs them on this what has so far been a very peaceful night.

Km770 to Km735: Meat
Short of the police moving their 4x4 into the garage for the night our sleep outside the police station proved very peaceful, although it did concern me a little that they felt the need to lock the car away for the night given that this was a police station and the car was already inside the same fence that we were. It couldn't have bother me too much because after the little disturbance I fell straight back to sleep and slept like a log. Mark however was not as lucky and had to get up in the middle of the night and literally 'gaan kuk in die milies' in the field adjacent to police station.

We didn't have far to go to the next beach town on our list, Necochea. Necochea itself is quite ugly but it's lucky enough to have a relatively pretty beach front and the again people were friendly. The whole place is bordered by its even uglier sister Quequen to the east which looks very much like an old agro-industrial port town which has been left to fall apart and can unfortunately even be seen from the beach including its most distinguishing features of towering silos and factories spewing steam into the air. The Parque Miguel Lillo and beach running to the west helps makes up for this with a beautiful camp site set amongst the the Parque Miguel Lillo forest. The beach is huge and runs along the front of Necochea and to the west as far as the eye can see. The section along front Necochea looks like it could be a huge nightmare/party come busy season as there are bars running along this 2km section with little sun tents lining the beaches just waiting for the pending people flood. The sea itself is a little bland as its not very warm, a little murky and doesn't have great waves but then again it is being compared to the great beaches of Ecuador and Southern Africa which I have become accustomed to.



We arrived early at the Parque Miguel Lillo camp site so once camp was set-up we had almost the whole day to enjoy the camp site swimming pool and local beach. The local panadarias (bakeries) however did not live up to those of Claromecó which was a little disappointing but Nick and I did each enjoy about 500g of great steak on the camp site braai. Meat here really is great and it is so cheap and readily available, the best cut costs less than $8 a kilo on average and is just too delicious. Seafood on the other hand is a lot pricier here than the west coast of South America and I think that is because there aren't too many fish left in the warmer waters on this side of the continent but then again that's just a guess.



Interestingly I used be of the opinion that its better to eat animals that are 'wild' e.g. fish from the sea or say a buck that has roamed the fields all its life but I have come to realise that this is not sustainable or a realistic opinion. Yes its nicer or kinder to eat animals that have lived a happy life but there are just too many humans on this earth for us all to eat like that and if we all tried to eat like that there would/will soon be no wild life/fish left in the world otherwise we need to create a hang of a lot more world for all these animals to roam around on.

The reason I started to think about this was because Mark doesn't eat beef and stated that, but not giving it as the reason for not doing so, there is a lot of unnecessary cruelty involved in mass producing animals. This is fare, cruelty to animals may be a good reason not to eat them however many of these same people still continue to eat fish because they are not bred in captivity resulting a whole bunch of people now switching from eating bred animals to wild animals. However, as I cycled past the hundreds of fishing boats and villages and walked through the fish markets on a daily basis, manly those of Peru, I just began to realise how much we are raping the sea and how unsustainable it is. It became so disturbing to me that I have almost got to the point where I refuse to eat wild animals (i.e. fish in Peru) and only eat animals that have been bred because there are just too many of us humans to sustainably feed off of them. At least with bred animals we are only eating what we produce.

Yes, yes, I can her you already saying what about the cruelty, what about the pollution well I agree that's why we as humans need to start being more responsible about breeding animals using free range techniques, perhaps not eating so much meat etc. but I think we should just leave the wild ones alone. If we can't produce enough animals ethically to eat then perhaps we should stop having so many children!! Ok hope you enjoyed my rant..let me know what you think.

Km735 to Km675: Gaucho
After spending a fantastic 2 days relaxing, swimming and sunning ourselves by the pool in Necochea it was time to find our next beach along the coast however we again had to head inland only to later head back to the coast. We didn't quite make it back to the coast in a day but we did just make it to the dirt road that would take us down to the coast to Mar del Sur when it started to become dark. We spotted a nice piece of grass outside a farmer's, or gaucho's they called around here, gate which we thought would be great for camping but were bit concerned the gaucho may come home or see us early in the morning and chase us away. I grew a little concerned about how the gaucho may react given that all the way down the highway we had been seeing bullet holes in all the traffic signs but just as we were about to whip the tents out the gaucho came home and we managed to flag him down for a chat. After allaying his fears that we were not druggie hippies we asked if we could stay and he said fine but to rather meet him at a farm gate just further down, so off we went just desperate to set up the tents and make dinner!



The gate he had sent us to was an entrance just 500m down the road and the road leading for the gate was lined with trees with the sun going down at the other end of it making for a beautiful sight. As we followed his car down the avenue we kept spotting beautiful patches of grass to camp but we had been instructed to follow so we did. Just as we came to the end of avenue it opened up on to a beautiful pristinely kept polo field. I had never seen a polo field with my own eyes let alone camped by one so was quite chuffed! The framer kindly let us into the club house where there was a little stove and a sink and said we were welcome to camp or sleep on the floor there. After being told some crazy story about some other people the gaucho had met who had been travelling the continent by horse and getting married and then pregnant and then going back to give everyone they had met a horse shoe we headed off to bed. I now lay here on the club house floor having murdered numerous mosquitoes while Mark and Nick sleep outside under the night sky out on the polo field. I absolutely love sleeping under the starry sky but given that my mosquito net is rammed at the bottom of one of my bags I'd sooner rather sleep indoors.



Km675 to Km645:An ancient hotel
The gaucho had to make is way to Mar del Plata early the next morning. The next morning the gaucho came bounding along on his horse early as promised and wearing his typical gaucho clothes including a typical Argetninian biona (flat little cloth hat balanced on his head) setting us on our way with a smile. It wasn't long before we were down on the coast in a little town called Mar del Sur (sea of the south). Now Mar del Sur is the perfect holiday beach town for me as it is only a few streets wide and long and has a quiet little beach, I even noticed that there is a awesome little hostel right there by the beach. There are some beautiful old buildings in Mar del Sur to look at including a 120 year old hotel 'Boulevard Atlantic' where I believe Hitler once took refuge! Perhaps if come back in Argentina in March I'll return to Mar del Sur.

Having eaten our breakfast on the beach in Mar del Sur we carried on along a coastal road for about 20km arriving at Miramar where we had originally planned to stay. Miramar is a much bigger town and reminded me a lot of Umhlanga in South Africa or Cancun in Mexico with high-rise flats and hotels lining the beach front. The town itself has lots of nice little bars and coffee shops set along the pedestrianised centre streets and plaza but its not really our scene and we would much prefer to camp on the beach somewhere, which would obviously not have been possible around there. We cycled up and down the beach front for a bit which was clearly preparing for pending onslaught of porteños (people of the port of Buenos Aires), had a beer or two over lunch in town and then head a little further up the coast. The coastline form here reminded me a lot of a slightly colder version of South African south coast with coastal homes now sprawled all along the coastline.

We soon realised that we weren't going to find anywhere completely unpopulated to camp so started looking for the most discrete place we could find. We soon spotted some bushes over on the top of the sand dunes noticing when we got behind the bushes that were would not be the first people to have ever camped there and there was plenty of evidence to suggest it was perhaps a spot where more than just camping and camp fires had gone on, perhaps even a little romancing. Hoping that we were not taking over someone's home and were not going to be accompanied by anyone else that evening we cleared a spot and set up our tents. Being on the sea front it pumped with wind all night which didn't make for a great nights sleep but that was ok because we knew we would soon be in Mar del Plata where we would be staying with a friend, in beds for the first time in a while!

Km645 to Km600: Staying Mar del Plata with fantastic friends!
Excited to finally be arriving in Mar del Plata we set off into a strong head wind towards Mar del Plata. Mark and I would be staying with Kelly Gibson now Kelly Santandrea (well actually not officially because Argentines wives don't traditionally take on their spouses surname), an old friend from high school, and Nick would be staying with a different local family as part of his Spanish course. As we rounded the south east coastline and started heading now almost directly north we started coming into the outskirts of Mar del Plata. Mar del Plata is huge with around 600000 permanent inhabitants all kind of set along the coast. The first main beach we came to is the aptly named Playa Grande (big beach) and it is absolute madness. The porteños (people of the port of Buenos Aires) have not yet arrived for vacation but you can see that the people here are prepared! The beach has what looks like airport terminals numbered 1 to 24 with acompaning parking lots, long stretches of the beach have been cordoned off boasting rows of what look like miniature carports all over the beach which can be hired either for the day of just for the season meaning you get your own little piece of beach. They look hideous from a distance but it does mean no wind, its easy to find people, you can leave your deck chairs there and you get a whole extra set of neighbours!



Kelly had sent me the address to her place and thanks to google maps we found her street with ease. Her house didn't have a number on it but the locals milling around in the street were only too happy to pointing out where the South African lived. I had suspected it may be her house because it looked just like a typical modern Joburg suburban home but didn't want to go ringing some random person's bell hoping it would Kelly's place. After attempting to freshen up a bit on the sidewalk Sebastian, Kell's husband, was presented with 3 hobo looking cyclists.



Kell was still out shopping as we were a little earlier than expected but thankfully Sebastian let us in even if he didn't have anyway to verify that the hobos standing at the door were intact Kelly's friends for back home. Kelly and Sebastian were due to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary the next day and were currently still putting the finishing touches to the home they had built replacing the one Sebastian had lived in as a child, now a beautiful and modern home. Mark and I are lucky enough to have our own room and bathroom which too means Kell fortunately doesn't have to fall over our stuff. Once Kell was home we almost immediately headed down to the beach. Kell and Sebastian share a 'car port' on the beach with 2 other couples and they can take guests which is great. So nice to go down to the beach knowing everything thing is already there and your friends might even already be there!



We've since spent some good time catching up with Kell and getting to know Sebastian, playing with Ingwe their cool little cat while eating and living like kings! What I discover when having a parrilla (braai) the other evening and at various canicerias (butchery) is that they don't generally use expensive cuts of meat on a parrilla and I think I know why. Apparently expensive cuts are too dry which is valid but it is compounded by the fact that they seem to cook the meat very slowly over low heat. The other evening we bought what looked like a very fatty lump of meat but Sebastian cooked it very slowly even putting a piece of newspaper over the top of it to keep in the heat and paper didn't even go brown! The meat was absolutely delicious though but was cooked more like how South African's would do a roast in a Webber rather than a flame grilled steak. Think I'm going to have to give it a try when I'm home.





We now have a few more days with Kell and Sebastian before Steve Donald arrives and we set off to Buenos Aires for New Year! I wish you all a fantastic Christmas and a happy New Year!

To see all the pics form Argentina click here.