Wandering Wheels: Day 9 – Peublo Del Rio to Uspullata

Woke at 7.30 and had breakfast from the basket of goodies left the previous evening. Had a more leisurely start as we knew we only had 42km to ride. Left at 9.20 with clear blue skies and higher temperatures than we expected so early in the morning. Had an amazing ride up a rocky valley with cactus and tiny flowers we could not identify. Birds of prey soared overhead (looked a bit like kites) and cicadas chirruped (not sure how to describe that repetitive sound that always means your somewhere hot). The lorries beeped their horns and flashed their lights and gave us plenty of room as the road was surprisingly quiet. But then it is Christmas week!! We have seen lots of ‘Papa Noels’ at the sides of the road and red ribbons on doors. Seems so incongruous in the blistering heat! We went through 7 tunnels today , which meant fitting lights and cycling quickly! Thankfully they were not too long and we didn’t meet any traffic. After just over 3 hours and 42km of climbing and descending we arrived in the green oasis of Uspullata. After over 75km of bare rock the sounds of birds and the smells of lush vegetation came as a pleasant change. Stopped at a roadside shop and bought a coke (had more coke in the last 3 days than in the last 10 years!) which tastes fantastic straight from a fridge. We knew we had a big day tomorrow (77km and 1250m climbing) along a more difficult road with longer tunnels and steeper gradients. Excuses made we opted for more luxury and went in search for a cabana! To cut a long story short we travelled up and down trying to suss out the most appealing spot. The guide books give the impression that there are only a handful of places to stay when there are in fact a plethora of choices….and that was the problem. We plumped for a brick built cabana today set in watered green grounds next to an army base. After unhooking our heavy panniers we donned our Tevas and glided into town looking for a coffee spot…it’s so easy to cycle without any weight! Café Tibet (named after the Brad Pitt film ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ which was filmed here) had closed down so we sat next to the first European tourists we had heard since arriving in a café opposite. The local dogs also chose to hang out here and do table tours in search of scraps. Although we didn't order food we seemed to attract quite a gathering! Decided to search for the Bavedas (a collection of silver and gold smelting buildings) which were in the locality. Ran the gauntlet of dog gangs ,which meant cycling at speed and acting nonchalant so they couldn’t smell fear and go for the chase…..amazingly it seemed to work although there was one collie which tried to round me up! The buildings donned an impressive row of gleaming white domed roofs where the smelting must have taken place. By the time we arrived back at the cabana we had added another 17km! Walked inside to the smell of a 1970’s caravan holiday…..a hint of uncombusted gas from an old white cylinder boiler, which seems to sit above every cabana sink. I think we will try and turn it off tonight and shut the bedroom door just to be safe! Legs seem to be holding out so far. Tomorrow will be the real test!