The drive north continues

After we went to bed last night, the wind suddenly came from nowhere and it blew a gale through the camp for a few hours before stopping as abruptly as it had started. Needless to say, it meant a sleepless night for me!

We were up at 6.30am to get our tents down ready for a 7am breakfast. Nikki had bought French pastries for us all when we stopped at the bakery in Tolhuin yesterday. We also had fried eggs, bread, watermelon, and the usual cereals and coffee. It was a good start to the day.

At breakfast, as Rich told us he had a raging thirst in the night after our visit to the Difunta's shrine! A coincidence or something more spooky?? 🤔

We were on the road by 8am, once again heading north on Ruta 3. Today, we were aiming to get to Caleta Olivia, or as close as possible, where we were planning to bush camp or stay at a basic campsite, depending on how far we got. The landscape was very flat and the road was largely straight. There wasn't much to see apart from hundreds of guanacos. Many of them crossed the road in front of the truck, making for great photo opportunities. Unfortunately, I was sitting in the wrong place!

The first settlement we came to was Piedra Buena. It was the first sign of human habitation in hundreds of kilometres. Unfortunately, Ritchie chose not to stop there, preferring bush toilets to proper ones!

Eastern Patagonia is often described as one of the most barren, windswept, featureless, desolate places on earth. Having driven across it all day today, I can't disagree!

We did stop in a service station near Puerto San Julian for an hour-long lunch break. We enjoyed the proper toilets!

Then, it was more of the same as we continued the long slog north. We still had 350 kilometres to go after lunch! This area has to be one of the least densely populated on earth!

The one good thing about the drive, though, is that the further north we go, the warmer it gets! It hit 30 degrees this afternoon. It's still very windy, but it's a warm wind!Read more