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+ Log & Blog December / Dec 22

 Progress log and blog report

22 DECEMBER 2005 - An unexpected day off…

The view from the window of our bedroom is superb, ok they charge an extra £10 a night for it, but we think it is worth it. Breakfast, air cleaners oiled and back on, laundry picked up (yes, lazy eh?) packed and ready shortly after 9am. Unfortunately Julian’s laundry had gone missing. Half an hour later it turned up and we were off.

A-condor
A condor (honest)

We didn’t get far before Julian’s car again started losing power on the hills. We popped and spluttered 30km out of town and gave up. So, cleaning the fuel pump yesterday and putting on a new base hadn’t helped. Odd, especially as it had behaved on their 60km run yesterday. We suspected more dirt in the fuel tank, but the filter was clean. We mustered all our spare fuel pumps. Ivor had a brand new pump, I had an old reliable one I had tested before the trip. Ivor’s new one didn’t work. My reliable one didn’t either…. We tried to make up one from the parts of others, but ran out of steam without a soldering iron. As we were working we noticed some huge birds circling. Much bigger than anything we have seen with wide wings they soared on the air currants. We all hoped they were Condors. Needless to say, once the camera was out they were a long way away.

Leaving Julian with his car, and enough nourishment we headed back to where Chris had the fan fixed. It was now shop closing time, 1 to 3.30. So we found a few likely shops to try later and went for a meal. Alan persuaded us all to try a traditional Argentinean dish  - fried beef in breadcrumbs, chips and a couple of eggs. Way too much. Old hollow legs Alan was the only one who managed to eat most of it.

Hollow-legs-Alan

At about £3 a head including drinks, good value – but very much a local café. The dirt was thick on the floor, tables, everywhere. Fried food should be safe though. By the time this arrived and we ate most of it, it was 3pm. Some shops opened then and we started our trek. Lots of shaking heads. Finally at 3.30 the shop that repaired the fan opened and they agreed to take all the spares and have a go. Come back in a couple of hours. So we hung round outside in the heat, squashed against the wall for some shade. After an hour and a half, yes they think it could be done. Come back at 7pm but they probably won’t be ready until tomorrow morning.

Spectacular2

Now we had to get Julian back the 30km and leave the car at this garage. Towing was not a good idea after yesterday as the brakes on his car had been too much for my towing point. The garage mechanic suggested using a can of fuel and a pipe to the carburettors and so to drive in. Sounded interesting, the garage provided the pipe and the canister and we set of to Julian.

It-worked

He had been kept busy with people stopping and taking photos and with reading his car magazine! He looked a bit worried about the pipe and canister, but it was rigged up quite quickly and when the car started he was clearly a much happier man! Passing through the police checkpoint on the outskirts of town could have been tricky with Alan holding up a fuel canister with a pipe leading out of it, but luckily they had another victim they were engrossed in and our little convoy sailed through.

Oh, a message for Sue Rushton – Chris’s beard is coming along well, and he hopes you like it.

The-beard-develops

Back at the garage they confirmed they should be able to get two pumps working, but come back tomorrow at 9am. So back to the hotel we were in last night, and a good job too as Julian was able to pick up his phone battery charger!

Tonight I am going solo, another web session to get truly up to date and then do some street pounding and get a snack...

 

And-some-more

More-spectacle

 

 
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