Two Fathoms Deep

It’s interesting how sometimes words in a language you don’t understand can sound similar to phrases in one that you speak.  I’m not going to post the other one that I thought I heard.

Sixteen hours of driving from San Ignacio to San Miguel del Monte…  staying in a place called “Hotel” Pinar.  It’s unusual for a single female to be traveling with males in South America, so we almost didn’t get the room because of the kinky things they feared we would be doing  [edit: It turns out they were just concerned about a woman staying in a motel full of road and construction workers].  Unable to connect to their Wi-Fi, so this is the second consecutive night without internet.  National Geographic says not to miss the chance to stay in a resort in the Pampas region, so I guess this is it!  I do have to admit, I have better cellular connectivity so far than I typically have in Arkansas.  If only I were able to take advantage of it for less than $2 per minute. 

Not the best day for food that I’ve had, but I anticipate being on the Atlantic coast tomorrow, so that should make up for it.  The air conditioner finally started keeping up last night (laying directly beneath the vent), so I was forced to use the comforter instead of just laying on top of it.  A simple breakfast of breads, juice, and coffee in the hotel restaurant was made better by having a rainy morning.  We drove for about three hours in it.  A wrong turn through a small town allowed us to give a ride to a young woman named Mirian who was standing beneath an umbrella in the rain in front of her house on the highway.  It felt good to be able to help someone…  maybe I’ll give picking up hitchhikers a chance when I get back home!

I’ve had the Beatles stuck in my head tonight, but it should have been AC/DC.  Route 6 south from Buenos Aries is the highway from hell.  I don’t see how people on motorcycles can stay on the bikes.  There is significant damage to the highways, and constant detours from one side of the divided four-lane system to the other.  The day started out in a similar fashion south of San Ignacio, but pales in comparison to this.

We attempted to stay in Cañuelas, but missed getting the last room in town by mere minutes.  There is apparently a three-day caramel festival starting tomorrow…  it simply wasn’t meant to be.

Oh, and I’m happy to say that the international traffic citation that was issued today was to a driver who was not me!  Although, that would have been a nice addition to the other tickets on my refrigerator.  Passing cars while driving in the right lane is frowned upon in Argentina to the tune of 314 pesos.  Perhaps we should have tested the Fifty Pesos Theory.

I’m laying in bed at 0130 and hear the train whistle blowing as I type this.  Just like when I was a kid!