Day 55.
Packed everything into my backpack today, which now weighs just 13kg after i mailed some unnecessary clothing and things to Bariloche. I got a taxi out to the main road out of Salta, i needed the taxi to take me out to a crossroads i was told divided the route northbound and southbound, which would make it easier to hitch south especifically. I got the taxi past the toll station just out of Salta and when the fair was accumulating i decided i wanted to pay no more, i said to the driver to turn around and go back to Salta where possible, i would continue from here by foot. I started walking and within ten minutes of having my thumb out a Fiat Fiorino pulled up about 20 metres in front of me. I ran to it and asked the man, in his forties, sitting inside if he was going south towards Cordoba. He said today was my lucky day, he was going to Santa Cruz, right in the southern end of the country so he would have no problem dropping me off in Cordoba on his way. This was more than 1000 kilometres covered in just one ride, fucking ace!
Pedro turned out to be a very nice man, he wanted me to go all the way to Santa Cruz with him but i said i wanted to visit some places in this part of the country first. He was on his way home after buying a house, a pharmacy, and submitting his daughters into some good schools in Salta. He was not poor to say the least. He owned about 6 other pharmacies at least and had the fiorino as a form of transport so his wife could deliver supplies. It was a new car, only 1000 or so km driven. The fact that a bird hit one of the side mirrors at 145kmph meant that we stopped by at Santiago Del Estero to see if they had a spare part to put the mirror back together, they didn´t. We taped it up and continued on our 10 hour journey.
When i eventually arrived in Cordoba i was dropped off at a petrol station, i had no idea where i was and no one knew of any nearby accomodation, one of the guys there said i could take a taxi to a nearby place, what a brilliant idea. "you can call one on 434-533 or just wait here" - "well i don´t have a phone so i guess i´ll wait". Two seconds later a cab goes past, one loud whistle from my friend at the petrol station turned the cab around and brought him to us. I explained my situation and the man said for a few pesos he could take me to a hotel somewhere. I jumped in and a few minutes later we arrived at a hotel, he said he didnt know the price exactly but i should go and ask. It was an expensive hotel, or at least too expensive for me at 60 pesos for one night. The taxi driver said that was way too much and offered to take me towards the town centre and bus terminal where cheaper accomodation is available, i asked how much that would cost for him to take me there, without a pause he reached for the meter and turned it off as he said "don´t worry about it". For a dirty hitch hiker who is trying to get by with as little money as possible this was a dream come true. We arrived to an area with a lot of hotels and hostels, i said this would be a good place and he dropped me off, i offered 20, maybe 30 pesos, but he said no just 10 (that was the price before he turned the meter off and drove about another 10 minutes). It´s really amazing how when you talk to people and explain your situation, the majority will try and help you in any way they can, it kinda gives some hope for this world.
I managed to get a room for 30 pesos that night, which was very cheap but very basic accomodation. I slept like a baby, woke up about 8 and got a 1 and a half hour bus to Cuesta Blanca, i didnt really know what to expect apart from a river here. The bus took me to a little, very quiet town with a beautiful river running through it. I thought "this will do" and looked for a campsite by the river to set up my tent. The campsite had three very friendly labradors, some of the best dogs i´ve ever seen, they were more playful than i was tired, and that´s a lot. I set up the tent and about 10 minutes later a violent thunderstorm came over the skies above. I jumped in the tent then put on some waterproofs and came back out to make the tent more waterproof, once this was done i jumped back in and slept through the rain, not before putting my elbow through the screen of my camera and breaking it in the process, the screen is no more, i think it still takes photos i just can´t see what i´m doing so it´s auto mode for now.
I woke up to a beautiful sound of the nearby stream rushing through, and opened my eyes to a beautiful labrador laying by my tent, paradise some might say, completely peaceful, i went for a walk in the nearby hills then set off to the nearby road that went through some mountains and to the next town some 110km away. The first car that went past i stuck my thumb out, and it stopped. Federico was on his way to a job he had in this next town, he worked selling some farm machinery of some kind. From this next town i walked 5 km during two hours and had no luck with the rides, i waited at a YPF for one more hour before a man with a very old mitshubishi gave me a ride to the next town about 20 minutes away, it was hardly anything but it got me out of that shithole. From this town i waited again about an hour before a double cabin pick up stopped. I jumped on the back and for the next 45km i was in heaven, watching the road disappear behind me like a dream come true, the skies above perfectly iluminated by a powerful sun that was directly to my left, there was no doubt about it, i was heading south.
The young lad dropped me off at a small petrol station where i bought a chicken sandwich from a family that owned the cafe next to it. They said if i stood by the tree and stuck my thumb out i´d be once again heading south in less than half an hour, very impressed by their accuracy i went over to the tree, looked at the time and waited eigerly. Sure enough, 25 minutes later, a beaten up renault traffic stopped and gave me a lift to where i am now, Villa Mercedes. I decided to stay the night here and try hitch the remaining 500 or so km to Mendoza tomorrow.
I wrote this two days ago and i am actually in Mendoza now as i publish it, i will update this on how i spent all of yesterday getting here later on tonight.
Santiago.
No comments:
Post a Comment