People , places and chris rhea

Please remeber to have a look at www.richardsrun.co.za and think about making a donation or pledge to the ithembaletu home or the ethembeni school .

Chis Rhea´s road ?

Set off from gregores nce and early suffering no side effects from my wine part the day before .
the day went fairly well and after about 50 km of steady going on some tough surfaces i came across an estancia called la luche .

i headed down the steep entrabce road and walk around the premise .calling out ´Ola , Ola ¨´ as i went . i saw abore collie so i thought some one had to b around but it was about 2 pm so maybe they were sleeping .

my new pram

I was about to sit undr a tree and wait when a Gaucho appeared with his massive grey horse and his dog . He looked suprised to see me . I asked if i could camp ´estoy bescando permisso campernaro ´ and he indoicated that i could . i followed him for a while and pointed out a spot where i would pitch my tent . as soon as i was a about to pitach the tent he started talking spanish and gesturing and metioned ´casa ´. i assumed he meant his house so nodded enthusuastically and he led me to an outside  room just off his kitchen . he showed tht i could use the kitchen if i liked.

me and Hose

His name was Hose´ , i settled and and Hoe indocated that i coul dhave food with him .
he made a reall big effort for his vistor , we had shreddded carrots and sliced onions all soaked in a vinniger garlic sauce and then he produce what looked liek half a sheep .


He also produce his leather wine sack and affered it to me . Hose and i drank and ate while both jabbering away in our own language . we did a lot of laughing . Hose was awesome .




next day ,  at first  i made it 40 km to  la silvina estancia and confidently approach the old fellow i found in the wood shed and ask if a i could camp an was solidy told  in no uncertin term .NO . 15 km wa sthe next place and the wind was howling , head down mumbling to my slef all the way i made it  . It  was a roaders depot  clled tamel aike .where i was shown that i could camp in a shed outside , alothough it was warm and cosy , the old oil smell was quite overpowering and when i lit my cooker i expected to blow myself and the shed to smitherines .  i slept like a log that night and once agin set off earlñy the follwing day .

HO,E AWAY FROM HOM E

following dy it seemed like i was destined to do 50 km a day fr ow as the next place  knew of was estancia La delfin , it was a quite day on the roads , ithink itsthe week end but i am not sure , who cares ..lol

When i eventulay got to where La Delfin was supposed o be there was nothing but what looked like and an abandoned quarry . I widened the hole in the fence ( i am gettig good at this ....hehe) and went in search f a sheltered spot . th ewind kept lifting the ne wheel of my pram off the ground .

I saw a building inthe corner and knew that was my spot . I was amazed when i approached and a dog dashed out and barked , teh door opened and and oldish guy ( like me ) opened the door and gestured that i comein out of the wind .

GARCIA

Garcia was teh secuity gaurd and h said i could sleep on the floor of the security hut but his replacement was coming at 5 pm .
We chatted quite a bit and had some food ,
I also chatted quite  lot with Garcia replacement pedro .
Pedro kept insisteng on showing my his arm muscles and telling me how he was gymming with bricks and machine parts  while at work  .
oth Garcia and pedro could not gethe the concept that i could not understand spanish .
They seemd to think i was deaf or stupid .
After saying something to me in spanish and then observeing no reacion from me expect a shug they would then repeat whatthey had said but really loudly and whe that failed the would repat it louder and also say it sylabe by sylable keenly studying me for a reaction , it was quite funny to watch and frustrating for both partyies .


next stor was the Rio Olnie Hotel .
I was relieved when i arrived becuas eth ewind got so wild at on epoint it blew my pram right over and all my shit was scttered across the road blowing around .
 It was close and anbandoned for yerds it seems.
I studied allthe pad locked dorrs until i found what i was looking for .
I have come to learn that everythong is padlocked but there is alway a chain with a snap link or pice of wire that bypasses the padlock .... ola ,, i was in .

HOTEL EL OLNIE

I was amess but i found one room that was fairl y clean and i also found and empty 25 litre drum and a tap that worked ..yay , i can wash .


I washed some things and myself and set up a nice littl ecampsite in side the room .
I explored the hotel

before going to sleep in my paraniod Ric fashion i setup numerous traps though outhe hotel with bottle son doors , pices of wire , balancing wood etc that would alert me if any on else showed up ..

greap sleep  .

on to Bajo caracoles . no wind , 33 km . over and done before the sleep was out of my eyes .

as i entered town the local police man came flying out f his  police station and asked wheri was going , i said camping and he immediaty escourted me to the camping ground . 20 pesos , in his bck garden .

His house doubles as the local camping gound an hostel

I met 3 great peopel from Begium there , Thibault , emily and Alec and they agrreed that the follwong day we could go in there car to the ´Cueva de ls handos ´. the caves of the hnd s. we would have to do it early a s i neede d to run and they needed to get to el chalten .
Alec is a muscian who hithced alift with Emily and Thibault and they are on a 1 year tour of south america .
Thibault is definitely a lets do it kind of person rather than a why w shouldn´t type . . they were good fun .
 I eneded up sleeping on the floor f the restuarnt with them rther than in my tent 

Thibault , Emily , me and Alec

We drove there the next day lsiten to Chrs Rhea´s Road to to hell and i explained to them that he must have bee talking about route 40 as it had been my road to hell.

The caves were amazing only and the company was great .

Cueva de las handos

I set off after llucnh t try and put as many km as i could uncer my belt . th ewind came up but for a change it was behind me so i just kep going and hgoing angçd going for 9 hours until i only had a short day left to Perito mreno .



Pleasase remeber to have a look at www.richardsrun.co.za and think about making a donation or pledge to the ithembaletu home or the ethembeni school .