At the half way point we met a local couple from Mendoza travelling in the opposite direction and stopped for a chat. They were cycling on a home made tandem with luggage trailer!! It was very long! They told us of their plan to do the route we hope to complete in January and were out on a multi-day practice trip to see if they could physically manage it. They said they were writing a blog. http://www.tandementes.blogspot.com/
We arrived at Portrerillos in good time and stopped to buy coke and empanandas. These tasty little pastries will no doubt become a dietry staple! This time we bought them from an elderly man in a local house. He opened his door as if we were selling something to him! He asked us to wait while he went to the kitchen shutting the door tightly behind him. We must have looked quite a threat! He sold other baked items and we somehow agreed to buy a huge loaf as well (even though we didn’t really need it) which we had to strap onto the back pannier. It was Sunday (family bar-b-que day which we understand is quite a tradition) and every little strip of open space between villages was occupied by families cooking over open fires, socializing and having a good time. Although we were planning to stop in Portrerillos we spotted a sign which advertised cabanas at a mountain health lodge 13km further on. We pressed on and after 3km I had my second explosive puncture! We eventually arrived at the lodge where a lady cheerily greeted us from a cabin located next to the entrance. She was very friendly and called on her radio to see if there were any spaces for us. We were in luck, as the last cabana available had been vacated just a few hours previously. She directed us down a track to the reception where they confirmed we had taken the last spaces. They were very friendly and exceedingly helpful and walked us to our cabana which was quite amazing for $216.00 pesos. We had a huge kitchen/lounge area, a lovely double room, a bunk beds room and a bathroom. Outside we had a deck, compulsory bar-b-cue area and some amazing views of the mountains. The cactus in our garden area were flowering and we could see similar white blooms covering the mountain slopes opposite.
I think this cabana will be difficult to beat in terms of value, space, luxury, views and hospitality. They even bring breakfast to you if you can't manage the 200m walk to the restaurant! Surprisingly, 'Pablo del Rio' is not mentioned in any guide or even any of the blogs we have read about the area http://www.peublodelrio.com.ar/
