Piedra Buena – We were going north when our vehicle went south
Sunday, March 26th, 2006
There is a 150-mile stretch of highway north of Rio Gallegos with a whole lot of nuthin´on it. We got about 142 miles before our truck decided to give us a little extra time to appreciate the stark beauty of it all.
One of the wheels got tired of rotating (can´t really blame it all that much) and just decided to take an unscheduled mate break. The Argentines have this really nice custom of drinking this herb called mate (mah-tay). Everywhere you go you can see someone with a thermos of hot water, or a mate cup with a silver straw. The first time you try mate, it makes you wonder what happened to the tastebuds of the Argentine tongue. How does someone willingly drink this? After some time, it becomes bearable, then not unpleasant, then you would probably sell unimportant appendages to get the stuff. Giselle and I are somewhere just past the first stage. For me, the real attraction of mate is the vessel. There is an incredible variety of the things ranging from a plastic cup (horrors!) to what I am surmising is the traditional hollowed-out gourd, to wooden ones covered with ornate leather, to silver and gold, to cow horns and other non-permeable bovine body parts, to just about anything that holds water.
Oh yes, the wheel. There was nothing I could do on the highway, so we decided to hitch to the next town. It took all of ten seconds before we got a ride with a trucker hauling a double trailer full of gasoline or some other flammable liquid with warning signs on it.
Long story short, we are spending the night at the gas station hotel which is actually infinitely better than you would imagine. There is even a restaurant with a lovely view of the gas pumps for no extra charge.
Tomorrow Pepe (really) gives us the verdict on the reluctant wheel.
VERDICT: GUILTY OF HAVING CRUNCHY BEARINGS! Those little scraps of metal on the wood panel on the ground were cylindrical at one time.
After 30,000 or so kilometers (who is counting?), the road ends here. Anybody interested in buying a gently used Ford Explorer? It comes with tattered maps of ... 
Towering towers of granite tower above us.
Man, that is one goofy-looking rhea. Sheesh.
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