ruta 40

After our near-lost-forever-in-the-wilderness extravaganza, our adventure was nowhere near over.  After replenishing our arsenals with a decadent steak dinner and copious amounts of wine, we suited up for a full day of white-water rafting along a famous river that snaked its way along the Chilean border.  

With the constant rain and snow the few weeks before, the river was higher than ever before (according to our expert guides whose warnings did nothing to quell my anxiety) and thus our trip down it was nothing less than eventful.  After 8 Class IV rapids, near-freezing 35-degree temperatures, and 1 very dramatic flip that resulted in our boat's contents (us!) strewn about in the whirlpool-style rapids, we were ready for another extravagant Argentine meal - this time tender lamb and succulent Dover sole with chocolate mousse and red wine sorbet for dessert.

You'd think we'd have had enough of the excitement, but not us - we had to rent a 4x4 and attempt to conquer Argentina's infamous Ruta 40 which traces the country down through Patagonia north to south.    

The mostly dirt-and-gravel road (with the exception of a few glorious paved sections like the above) is notorious for leaving unprepared travelers stranded for days without supplies.  

With gas stops 300+ miles apart...

...accommodations that leave you wishing you didn't need to stop for sleep...

 

See that white spot there?

Yep, that was our home for night #2 

...an obstacle course of suicidal Patagonian wildlife, and the terrifying Argentinean drivers who adore playing Russian roulette as they pass trucks around curves and down hills, the route is somewhat of a right of passage down South.  Anyone who learned we were attempting it would automatically bow to us in recognition of our bravery.
(Or shall I say: stupidity?)

No one for miles

 

Which way?

 

The route was exciting and nerve-racking and eventful, to say the least.  We hadn't been driving for more than three hours when (after we had parked right on the edge of a cliff overlooking a roaring river to enjoy our packed lunch of roasted chicken and baguettes) our car battery went dead.  After a long time of waiting, we flagged down a generous Argentine family who - while sans jumper cables - suggested we kick start the car by pushing it Little Miss Sunshine Style.  

After first rolling the beast back from the cliff (a scary proposition in and of itself as with one push the car often rolled back towards the cliff with more momentum), we began the process of pushing it along the shoulder of the road as hard as we could.  It took us five tries but we got it going - leaving us with a running engine that we rarely turned off from then on.

Our saviors!

Later that evening, we stumbled upon another shocker.  Alongside the road, we spotted a small tent, but no car in sight. 

Stefan popped out to see what the deal was all about.
(Because if you didn't know already, Stefan speaks about a bazillion languages and can make friends with almost every single person on this planet.) 
Inside the modest shelter, he found a Bolivian man who was biking his way (on a two-speeder) all the way from Bolivia down to Argentine's southern-most tip.

After almost dying in a motorcycle accident, the young man had received some words of wisdom from his then very sick grandfather:
"If I could go back and do it all again, I would have lived.  Really lived.  I got married, I had kids, they had kids, but I was just going through the motions.  I never took time to truly live.  Go see the world.  Savor every second.  Make it worthwhile."

And so he quit his job, spent all his savings on a bike and a tent and some warm clothes, and began his multi-year journey to see his continent in all its splendor.  And he was loving every second.

We left him our entire stock of chocolate as he left us full of zeal to squeeze the juice out of every second of every day we had left.  And squeeze we did.  

Happy Friday!  More stories next week.

xoxo
KK