The road west starts okay, but then, after only 30 miles, rain, hail, and snow holds me up in a café. When the weather finally breaks, I’m back on the road, and at Sarmiento I see my first big lakes, trees, and light farming. The weather is still a mixed bag of sun, rain, hail, and snow.
I’m finally getting into the high country, but the road to my destination, Los Tamariscos, is very bad, with diversions, dust, mud, construction work, and heavy gravel. So much for my clean bike.
I reach Los Tamariscos just before dark in a heavy snow. The hotel I stay in is one small adobe building. There’s no power or running water here, and the petrol bowser is hand-pumped with a glass top, one of the oldest I have ever seen, and still working.
I have a meal and two coca-colas, and before bed I spend time with a young grader driver. We use a dictionary and sign language to communicate.
My room contains a bed, sagging in the middle but covered by very clean and well-patched sheets, and a table with a large wash basin, a vessel of water, and a towel. I take an oil lamp and matches to bed with me. I end up putting the sagging mattress on the floor, and sleep there. All of this costs 900 pesos ($2.25), including breakfast.