Image: Spacer
Crossing South America in vintage British cars, a Healey Westland and a couple of Austin Healeys raising money for Save the Children and getting lost Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Home
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer + Sponsor and Win!
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer + Route Information
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer + Log & Blog December
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 4
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 5
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 6
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 7
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 8
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 9
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 10
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 11
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 12
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 13
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 14
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 15
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 16
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 17
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 18
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 19
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 20
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 21
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 22
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 23
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 24
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 25
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 26
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 27
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 28
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 29
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 30
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Dec 31
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer + Log & Blog January
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Cast and Crew
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Buy our USA adventure
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Gallery
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Movies
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Contact Us/Pledge
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Sign our Guestbook!
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Privacy/Disclaimer
Image: Spacer


Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer Save the Children Web Site

+ Log & Blog December / Dec 10

 Progress log and blog report

10 DECEMBER 2005 - …the city of the Penguins

Today was to be a long drive through very little down Rn 3 to Punta Tombo, the city of the Penguins. We started early and within minutes were speeding down the road, with a full petrol tank and the spare at the ready.

The weather caught us out again, this time it was hot and the wind had dropped. On the road we even passed a British registered camper van, good for them! After a short time we took the turning to Punta Tombo onto to gripa roads. These gripa roads were not like yesterdays, the gravel was loose and ridged. The Austin Healeys ploughed their way along the road. In the old Westland large thuds raised clouds of dust from the carpets signalled that rocks that were hitting the underside of the car. Go too slow and the ridges vibrate and shake the car, go too fast and the road feels like ice and the stones fly up. Just to make it more difficult, the speed you need varies depending on the standard of the gripa.

Still, it was only 70km to Punta – so how bad could it be?

The Alpaca were more plentiful than yesterday, these animals are most impressive.

Alpaca

We arrived after an hour an a half to the ticket office and cluster of small buildings: the rangers house, toilets and a shop. At the entrance to the ticket office a few skulls were lying, one we would definitely not like to meet alive – I don’t know what it is but its teeth tell me all I need to know. We guessed it was a bear. The tickets were slightly less expensive than yesterday, but all in a good cause we paid up and drove through. Immediately we were driving on a gripa road with penguins nesting either side of us. Their beaks pointing out of their burrows, the ‘jack-ass’ braying carrying in the air along with the cry of Hawks as they circled looking for some easy meat.

Puerto Tombo was amazing, you could walk amongst the penguins in laid out paths. Again access to the beach was forbidden, but you could sit on the rocks and watch their antics. One thing made us wonder. In the UK penguins are usually kept in cold enclosures, here it was now over 30 degrees C, the sunlight so intense that no one could read the LCD screens on their digital cameras. Maybe the penguins back home are cold?!

After a wonderful few hours we headed back to the entrance for lunch and before facing the gripa once more. A party touring the area advised us that where we were heading, Comodoro Rivadavia, if it rained the streets became so awash that the cars would slide down the street, so make sure we park on the level… By now the wind was up and the dust almost blinding. Julian had landed a piece of grit in his eye early on and after washing it was able to continue, but in quite some discomfort. Sunglasses were not much protection from this dust.

At last, and with almost no fuel, we were back on tarmac. By the time the first petrol station arrived we probably were down to our last couple of miles of petrol. At the station we met a British lady, Cynthia Milton who was travelling the world on a large BMW motor bike. 15 months so far, 3 of which she spent laid up after a serious accident, but she was underway again. Today she was taking a few days detour of 1,000 miles to meet up with some fellow travellers before heading south to Tierra del Fuego, so we may meet up again.

Cynthia-Milton

It was now a few hundred Km to our night stop at Comodoro Rivadavia. It was hot, the wind was hard numbing the senses on the exposed side of your face and threatening to tear off you hat. Hard going.

One thing it takes a while to get used to, is if you are behind a vehicle and they indicate left, that means you can overtake… What happens if there is a left turn we have yet to find out.

We arrived and stopped at the Comodoro Hotel. Not enough room for us all. The town is an oil town, not pretty and very busy. We caught a glimpse of a packed beach in the shadow of large industrial units. Everywhere seemed pretty full, so we agreed the UK contingent would stay in the Comodoro and the Brazilians in another – the nearest turned out to be 10km away!

A-busy-Comodoro-Rivadavia

Whilst in the Comodoro car park we looked over the cars. The grevel damage was extensive. The Westland’s rear wings were badly chipped and dented at their bottom edge and the inner wings were loose. But the Austin Healeys suffered more serious damage, Ivor’s 100/4 jacking points were badly damaged and Julian’s rear shroud and rear wings were dented. We all expected a re-spray would be needed after this trip, but we weren’t expecting all the panel beating as well! The Westland also had another fuel leak, this time the front carb float was not shutting off the fuel and so it was leaking over the top – if a shield hadn’t been fitted the fuel would have gone over the alternator and probably caused a fire. A simple thing to fix.

The Comodoro… impressive on the outside, but the room was the worst yet. No outside window, no air conditioning, paint flaking from the shower – and relatively expensive. The staff were good and gave it the air of a grand hotel, just the rooms let it down! Next was the hunt for a restaurant, by the time we were ready they were either closing or were full. We finally found a very posh restaurant, almost European prices – and we had an excellent meal and were in bed by 12.30. A lazy start tomorrow, as Gunto is catching the plane home tomorrow and another of Julian’s friends, Tino, is joining us.

More

Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer
Image: Spacer

Image: Spacer
fine tuning by zincweb internet www.zincweb.co.uk