A few breakdowns; but I'm happy!

9 nights so far, and we've only had 3 mornings without mechanical problems... Yet I'm content and not at all worried. 

The mornings have been cold, and it seems that we are having battery troubles. After the first trouble it was decided to get a new battery, but that only helped for a day; or maybe it would have started that day regardless. Since then H has been checking the alternator, cables, and we've been reading up, and tomorrow we are going to a place with better equipment for testing. It cold also be fuel related.  

The second morning after replacing the battery we were bush camped and couldn't get a start! H headed to the road to flag down a vehicle for a jump start, but all he found in the first while was a man on horseback (not a lot of help). Then we went out together with chairs to wait, but bored and cold H headed back to the vehicle. I made a campfire, for warmth and tea, and had just made my tea when a vehicle finally came ... At about midday. 

I was never too concerned. We have plenty of food, and there was a rather clean stream nearby (snow fed in these parts). I figured a vehicle would pass sometime. 

The bush camp was about 15kms into a very scenic route. It was Route 40 from Pareditas to El Sosneado. It was a rough dirt road, mostly severely corrugated and with many hairpin bends. But, with the beautiful Andes to our right and with flat cattle grazing country dotted with volcanos to the left, I could not ask for better. I drove this stretch. It was very remote, and we also saw an Andean Condor and a few Rhea (like Emu/Ostrich, but smaller). Domestically goats and sheep were also being farmed as well as the cattle. 

This picture is taken on panorama setting, the road is actually very straight, but I took about 210 degrees of film. But you get the idea... Andes to the right, somewhat flat cattle country to the left. Spectacular, all day long. 

We were still on Route 40 for the next nights' bush camp, but we camped on a slope to get ourselves away in the morning.

One of the views on this wonderful stretch of route 40. 

H and I both prefer the bush camps to the town ones. But presently we are passing 4 nights in a town. The Andean pass into Chile we were intending to take is closed, we are told Chile has had too much snow, and so we need to go another 400kms south to cross, for which it is rather early. This town, Malargue, is big enough to have reasonable facilities but small enough to walk, so it's okay... And tomorrow is Monday, and we seem to need vehicle advice. 

The night before last it snowed. We were in a restaurant when people started going outside to photograph the snow, so it must be odd at this time. In the morning everything was covered in snow, and looked very pretty.