Well I´ve spoken to the police and I am due to give a full statement tomorrow which should get me a piece of paper that will help in the future - like a crime number in UK I guess. Inside the bag was my video camera, passport, diary, new memory cards and bike keys. I had my foot on my bag but must have moved, I looked down and it had gone. A few seconds of, pardon my language but, fuck me I want to go home and then I started to rationalise. I have spare keys and an old passport hidden in the sump guard of the bike (which I have now retrieved). I just hope they shites don´t find the bike or all is fucked. It is at least in a guarded private car park a few blocks away. I´ll have to ride to Buenos Aires to get a replacement passport so things will go a bit fubar but I hope to be on track by middle of next week. I might have to cut the trip a tad, not sure what will happen about my Venezuela visa.
Anyway back to the trip.
From Chos Malal I continued north trying to make it Mendoza but thinking it would probably take 2 days and indeed it did especially given the state of the rear tyre. Yes that was canvas showing by the end of the day.
But again the scenery was dramatic as the Ruta 40 turned itself into a real mountain road.
On the last leg of the journey I got my stove´s fuel bottle out ready to fill at the next service station and secured it with a bottle of water and empty juice carton. Guess which of the three did not fall off the bike? Nevertheless I found a campsite where I was dutifuly guarding by a 3 legged boxer all night. I named her Southpaw and she was very cute is somewhat hoppity.
So the next morning I changed my tyre and pushed on. Actually I have lost a day somewhere in all of this but regardless I ended up in Malague where I met a small grey haired Italian man, 65 if he was a day a prob a lot more, who had flown his little Piaggio scooter called Emma to Lima and was riding it to Buenos Aires via Ushuaia! How amazing is that? His name was Marcello.
From Malaque, having purchased a replacement compressor as mine failed inflating the rear tyre necesitating a 10mph totter to the nearest garage which was followed by a 90min wait for petrol the final leg to Mendoza was underway through fields of volcanic pumice.
As the last bit was a mear 260miles I stopped off at the most recommended Bodega or vineyard in the guidebook - Bodega la Rural and fantastic it was. Super museum, nice wine and the most amazing cask/barrel/vat things. As the tour was in spanish I didn´t catch their name but I think they called them el mesdocteur or enought for one doctor for one month. I agreed.
So here I am, back in the same internet cafe where I was robbed and all I can do is wait. Well wait and drink some wine.
I hope to speak with you all soon. No body said it would be easy.
TTFN,
Tiggros Tiggros Gali
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