Sorted!

Can´t work out how to get the pics on for now, so will have to do without today.

So, where to start.............what a week it´s been. I left Heathrow on Saturday 24th Feb, and for the first time I can remember I was early, a whole 4 hours early. Which is plenty time to change your mind about jetting off in to the unknown, especially if you are a fan of flying like me (!)

Anyway, 30 something hours later I arrived in Puerto Montt in Chile (just inside Patagonia) and met up with the rest of the cyclists. We headed straight for the showers and then to the workshop to pick up our new wheels for those of us who hadn´t flown our bikes out. Shock horror, my bike was a Giant (brand) with front suspension, and was the same model as I´d kept falling off at Glentress. A couple of test drives later and I was a bit worried as I hadn´t seen any surfaced track either.

So after dinner and a sleep we headed off in the support vehicle to get a ferry to get to the middle of absolutely nowhere. And then we started pedalling. The first trauma for me was that within 4 minutes I could not see a soul - I was outwith (legitimate Scottish word, Dad) the body of the kirk. Two hours later I caught them up at the tea break stop, by which time I had come off the bike in a back wheel over head spectacular on the very rough (for me) terrain. I was rather traumatised by this incident...there was no blood to show for it but it didn´t half hurt as I got trapped between the headset and crossbar. Of course since then the bruises (aka trophies) emerged. They are impressive, even if I say so myself. Knee to, erm, unmentionable female parts is purple, blue and a little green.

I think the remainder of the group wondered how I´d got on to the trip if I couldn´t seem to ride a bike. So did I! The company´s director had guided my last cycling trip and said I´d be fine for this one. I´d asked him if routes was surfaced with tarmac or bitumen as I am not a mountain biker, and he was quite sure I was fit enough and technically competent enough. I am flattered he had such faith, but there is no way I had the technical skills to handle the kind of terrain we saw in Chile in the first few days.

So day two saw me a good half hour behind everyone else in the first leg (not that you know how far you are behind til you meet at the allotted waiting place) but when I did show up for the snack break I had a proper trophy for my morning´s efforts..... Iodine, bandage and chocolate all came in handy after a Chilean coach driver forced me in to the cambered scree where I really came to grief. He didn´t stop of course and there was no one in sight for miles in any direction. So once I caught up with the group and was patched up I hopped into the support vehicle for the remaining 60km that day. My skinned knee now looks a lot better, though if I´d peeled it with a potato peeler instead it would have looked a bit neater. I now cycle in tracksters/leggings not shorts.

Incidentally I have never seen so many dogs roaming round, which to a lone and steady cyclist is a little traumatic when there is the possibility of rabies. There are also more wasps than I have ever seen, put together. And what carnivores! They eat ham not caramel. Somehow or other, probably because other traumas overtook, they don´t bother me anymore, when I am outside. Unless they get in my helmet which is unpleasant. But no bites yet! Woo-hoo!

Day three was a rest day in Bariloche, but the group went cycling. I didn´t want to reskin my knee and wanted to check my stuff into the language school which I start on March 12th. So I got the right bus, found the address for the school and found, erm, nothing. I looked round the area, and still nothing. I phoned. No answer. I phoned the main school in Buenos Aires who had no idea what I was talking about. Then I went to Tourist info who had a list of all schools in the town. Except mine! A mystery. So I thought I´d fallen for an internet scam as I´d already paid in advance. Later that evening when we regrouped I got the guide to call my homestay lady and we then were able to track down the tutor. It seems the school only operates when they have pupils, and it looks like I´ll have one to one tuition.

Anyway, panic over. The town and environs is absolutely stunning, the tutor is a lovely lady and my homestay hostess is a nurse who doesn´t speak English but the guide said she sounded like a very nice warm person. There are so many trips and activities to sign up and I should really get good tuition so I am very much looking forward to it.

So we are now on day 10 of the cycling, and since the first few days things are looking up. The rest of the group (11 in total) are all in their 30s, 40s and 50s and mostly couples. They all have experience and have a decent level of fitness. Yesterday´s puny little 48km ride was the first one I managed in it´s entirety!

When I eventually cycled into the lunch stop yesterday at the top of a 10km uphill section with the support vehicle right behind carrying someone else, I got a cheer! I was only a couple of minutes behind some of the others too. I got some lessons yesterday afternoon and learnt to speed up on the downhills which has been my biggest problem.

I´ve also realised that in first few days when I was really struggling on the bike it was in part due to a chest infection which was developing. I´ve now got some penicillin and it´s getting better. Codine helped the symptons but penicillin should tackle the problem. I was very chuffed with myself for getting the penicillin as I really didn´t know what was Spanish for "green phlegm".

My room mate has found another room because my cough is so noisy, but I feel much better. Mentally and physically. It would have been easy to go home at the beginning of the week, when the language school didn´t seem to exist, couldn´t ride a bike, ego bruised and everything ached with the lurgy, but I am so glad I stuck it out. I have really enjoyed the last couple of days and have made some good friends. And Argentina is such a fantastic country. Patagonia is everything one could hope (even though I have only seen a tiny bit of Northern Patagonia). It´s miles and miles of vastness and seems to go on forever. It is cold early in the morning, and heats up to pretty hot (don´t have a thermometer) and most people have caught the sun. Factor 50 is a must! Haven´t seen much wildlife, but I am sure I will see more when we are not on the bikes.Just realised the time- my laundry is due for pick up. It cost all of 1 pound 45 pence to have it done. Fantastico!

More soon, but bye for now.