Wednesday, May 28, 2014

"Dispatches from the Pampas"...Day 19...Monday, February 23, 2014

I'm awake before sunrise...eager to get on the road. I loaded everything into the car yesterday, so all I have to do is make coffee, shower, shave and dress.
by 6:00, I'm pulling out of the campground for my all-day drive.
The drive back is no different than the drive in...boring scenery, slow speeds, aggressive drivers...not much fun at all. Around 6:00 or so, I'm tired...I've had enough driving. I check my map and see that I am approaching the town of Junin, and the Garmin tells me that there are plenty of hotels...all downtown. I pick one and let the Garmin do the rest. Traffic in town is heavy but, by pulling partially onto the sidewalk, I am able to park in front of a small hotel. Inside, it's all good...they have a room, it's reasonably priced, and they have a parking garage around the corner.
After unloading and parking, I head to a nice little bar across the street from the hotel where I order my "standard"...Jack Daniels, hielo (ice), doble (double). I enjoy my cocktails, but I have to say that none are more satisfying than the ones consumed after a long day of driving. Teo "dobles" later, I'm ready for some dinner. I walk around town until I see an Italian restaurant that looks promising. I order a half bottle of Malbec, a salad, and pasta with the house "special sauce"...it's good. After dinner, I stop at a small ice cream shop for two scoops of vanilla with dulce de leche. Then I spend an hour or two "cafe hopping"...enjoying several bottles of Stella beer.
Around 11:00, I'm back at the hotel for bed. Today I've driven about 75% of the way back to Buenos Aires. Just a short "hop" tomorrow to complete the trip.

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