Dave and his Bike

Days 194 to 198.

Day 194.

Not the best day I’ve had.

It all started so well. The sun was shining, it was nice and warm, and breakfast was a bit thin on the ground but nice all the same. I had a leisurely start as I knew I wasn’t going too far today, and (prompted by Liv) went off to see if there was a view of the river before heading out of town.

Again traffic was light and navigation simple. I cruised along (still into the wind), enjoying the fact that there was a bit of rise and fall, river crossings, and tree lined roads which made it more interesting. I’d planned the next three days in reasonable detail, avoiding major roads wherever possible, and hoping that the gravel sections were good.

That just left the last 100km into Buenos Aires to worry about, but I wasn’t too stressed by it – it’ll be the same as the other major cities I’ve ridden in to – a bit mental.

The first thing that upset my equilibrium a bit (but not much) was being stung in the forehead by something the flew into the lining of my helmet. Probably a bee, as it left its sting behind. It bloody hurt. Once I’d pulled the sting out and taken a picture of it I carried on, with a sore head.

I had been mainly riding on the road, with the occasional bit of concrete footpath or cycle track where available, so nothing particularly rough or bouncy. So my disappointment when I heard the unmistakable sound of a spoke breaking was palpable. I swore out loud. This one annoyed me more than any of the previous ones as I didn’t feel as though I had deserved it. I had covered 14km. Hardly what you’d call a hard days ride.

I carried on into San Nicolás de los Arroyos, considering my options (and still stopping to take photographs). I’m going to be left with one spare spoke and nearly 300km to ride, a good proportion of which would be on gravel. The last few spokes have broken in less distance than that, so I’m pretty sure others won’t make it all the way. I could look for a bike shop and either get some more spokes or get the wheel re-laced; if this had been any earlier in the trip that is exactly what I would have done, absolutely no question. However, with the prospect of flat and uninteresting riding, not great weather forecast, and not knowing whether this was actually feasible, I rode to the bus station.

It still wasn’t an immediate decision. I replaced the spoke, and asked about the possibility of putting my bike on the bus, then took some time to deliberate. My procrastination skills put to good use again. The upshot is that I’ll be arriving in Buenos Aires tomorrow. On public transport. I feel very much like I’ve given in and failed in my quest. The bus a couple of weeks ago felt more like a sensible and pragmatic decision. In some ways this feels more like I’ve caved in and given up, even though my options are somewhat limited. I think it is just a culmination of the last few days.

One thing it has done is made me more determined to enjoy the rest of my time in South America. I may not be on the bike, but I’m still travelling around the world and have such an amazing opportunity to have even more once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I’ve also still got the ride home from Madrid in a couple of weeks time, which will be completely different as I’ll have company again. And a different set of wheels. I’m now going to have at least ten days off the bike, and should therefore be rested and re-invigorated – so there’s no excuse. Which then brings me my next (and rather nice) dilemma – what am I going to do for the next ten days? Planning starts now.

So don’t cry for me, I’m still in Argentina. I had to get that in…

Distance cycled so far: 9682km

Day 195.

Up at 0600hrs, packed and at breakfast before 0700. A quick coffee and croissant (plus date and walnut loaf) and I was off on the short ride to the bus station. It’s nice being on the bike in the freshness of the early morning.

The wait for the bus was a bit nerve wracking, as it all still depends on whether there is enough physical space for the bike as to whether I travel or not. There was. I needn’t have worried. The bus wasn’t as nice as the last one, but still had fully reclining seats and was really comfortable.

The scenery all the way to the outskirts of Buenos Aires was much the same as the rest of central Argentina, flat and lots of pampas grass. It was beautifully sunny, and I felt quite sad about not being able to ride on such a lovely day, but there was no point in dwelling on it so I just enjoyed the journey as best I could. The last hour was rather predictably spent queuing in traffic before we arrived at the bus station. They are never at the smart end of town, and the first few minutes of cycling towards the city centre was through a flea market, surrounded by litter and unpleasant smells. That dissipated remarkably quickly and within a few minutes I was cycling past expensive looking shops and hotels. I tried several places, but prices were much higher than I’d been led to believe by Google and Booking.com, so I gradually worked my way out of the centre in search of something more in my price bracket.

I didn’t have to go far. A quick look down the side streets and there are tidy enough places for half the money, or less in my case. Interestingly, if you pay using a foreign bank card you don’t pay VAT, so for once it’s better not to use cash.

Once I’d checked in (both at the hotel and with Jane) I went for a short walk around the immediate location. About 100m away is a bike shop who will happily provide me with a box for my bike, to be collected next week. Brilliant. That didn’t take long. There was also a mechanic in the shop building a wheel in a jig. Bloody typical.

A further walk took me to Avenue 9 de Julio, the main boulevard running through the city. It has 16 lanes of traffic, and was a bit of a nightmare to cross on the bike. At the junction with the other main boulevard there is an obelisk. It was erected in 1936 to commemorate the fourth centenary of the first foundation of Buenos Aires by Pedro de Mendoza in 1536, and it marks the spot where the Argentine national flag was raised in the city for the first time. It measures 67.5 metres in height. I didn’t venture any further just yet as I’m here for the next three days so I will have plenty of time to explore.

Dinner was also very local as there are loads of restaurants around here. A lasagna verde with a glass of wine went down well. The second glass was probably a mistake.

I’m a bit disappointed that I haven’t broken the 10000km barrier before I leave South America, but it’s not an issue in the big scheme of things.

Distance cycled so far: 9693km.

Day 196.

Buenos Aires exploration.

A deviation from the weather forecast meant that it didn’t rain this morning. Which was nice. After a coffee and croissant at the hotel I went for a walk towards what I think is the city centre – it’s a bit difficult as it such a big place. There are large boulevards, statues and impressive buildings in all directions, so I picked a route (sort of) and meandered off.

The Plaza de Mayo is home to the Casa Rosada, the president’s official residence and workplace, and dates back to the 1870s. It’s more impressive than Downing Street. Opposite is the Museo Nacional del Cabildo (history museum) which I initially thought was a church. It dates back to the 1740s and was built as a seat of the town council during the colonial era, and the government house of the Viceroy of the Río de La Plata. I didn’t venture inside either, as I often find the outside of such buildings the most impressive aspect.

By this time I felt the need for a sit down and a coffee, so I duly chose a café and sat outside for a break. I only ordered a coffee, but it came with a stuffed croissant. I didn’t complain.

My next destination (via many statues and monuments) was the Plaza Lavalle to see the Teatro Colón and Supreme Court buildings – both very imposing. In between times I had ventured down the pedestrian shopping area – for over 1.5km – it just kept going.

On my way back towards the hotel I checked the map and spotted the Palacio Barolo nearby, so went to check it out. It looks very art deco to me, and has viewing gallery at the top. Not wanting to try to do too much in one day, I booked a ticket for a guided tour for tomorrow evening, and hopefully to see the sunset from the top. Knowing my luck it will be cloudy or raining.

To me Buenos Aires has a similar feel to Paris, with its grand buildings and wide, tree-lined boulevards. I really like it.

By mid afternoon I was back at the hotel, resting my feet. I also firmed up my plans for next week by booking ferries to and from Uruguay, so hopefully that will be an interesting few days. In the meantime I’ve got a couple more days exploring here. I went to the same restaurant for dinner as last night, and ordered grilled chicken with spinach as it sounded slightly healthier. It came smothered in cheese, as do most things here. It was good though.

As per usual on my days off I’ve walked about 10km. Hopefully that will mean I keep at least some of my fitness whilst I’m off the bike.

Day 197.

More exploring and admin tasks today. After a very familiar breakfast I went straight to a nearby laundry service. I had been hoping to spin it out until next week, but with so few clothes to wear off the bike, and two sets of worn cycling kit I took the plunge. For a bargain £5 it should all be washed and dried by lunchtime.

I then roamed the streets for a couple of hours, heading in a slightly different direction to yesterday. I started at the Plaza del Congreso, and the main government building, and the adjacent Confiteria del Molino – an art nouveau building which was originally an Italian confectioners.

Heading north and then east from there I ended up in the Plaza General San Martín. He was one of the primary leaders of the struggle for independence for much of South America (not just Argentina) from Spain. From the plaza there is a good view of the Torre Monumental – a clock tower gifted by the British in 1916 to commemorate independence. Quite ironic really.

Another venture down the pedestrian precinct got me back to where I had started, for a coffee break, then a short rest at the hotel before collecting my laundry. Excellent service.

Following a lazy afternoon I went, as planned, for a guided tour around the Palacio Barolo. It was built in the 1920s in an homage to Dante’s Divine Comedy, is a 100m tall office block, and in addition to some fantastic architectural features has amazing views over the city.

I had specifically chosen the 1800hrs tour, meaning that once at the top the sun should be setting. It was, and was beautiful.

By the time the tour finished I needed something to eat, and chose the cheap junk food option for ease (and cost), before returning to the hotel.

Not sure what to do tomorrow. Im trying to save some stuff for next weekend when I’m back, so it’ll probably be a relatively inactive day.

Day 198.

Another sunny day in Buenos Aires. So much for the weather forecast of thunderstorms.

After a relatively good night’s sleep and a standard breakfast, slightly later than usual, I went for another walk into the city. I had no plans or preconceived ideas as to where to go, and just followed my nose. It took me to the Plaza de Mayo where I had been previously and knew of a nice café for a second coffee later in the morning.

From there I stumbled across a market down one of the side streets. It was quite touristy and went on for miles, but had a nice feel to it, and reminded me very much of the summer markets near home in France. Walking through it took me to cobbled streets I hadn’t seen before, either a couple of churches and plazas along the way.

I ended up back at the café for a sit down and a coffee in the sun. Great spot for people watching too. A stop off at the Carrefour supermarket for a budget sandwich on the way back was made interesting by the bizarre request from the lady on the check out to see my passport before I paid by debit card. Quite strange. I didn’t show her. It was in my hotel room.

Restful (lazy) afternoon, catching up with family calls and sorting my kit out for the next few days away. I’m leaving my bike and panniers (with most of my stuff in) at the hotel here until I get back on Thursday. Hopefully it will all be safe.

A quick bite to eat with a beer at my usual restaurant (lazy again), then back at the hotel before 2030 ready for an early night in preparation for tomorrow morning. I’d not been back long before it rained really heavily. I hope that it has stopped by the time I leave in the morning.

Overall it has felt like a relaxing day, even though I’ve walked 11000+ steps (7.5km).