Frías to San Pedro de Guasayán

Yesterday I had a rest day in Frías. I had breakfast a little later than usual in the hotel, and then had a walk through the centre of the town, also looking for a place to buy some screws for my bicycle (as a reserve). It was cloudy, and so the temperature was more bearable.

The railway line separates the two parts of Frías, and on both sides of the railways is a large square, a little like a town centre. Clearly, the one to the west of the railways is the more important one, with more life – before and after siesta time.

There are not many restaurants, and even less open during midday, but in the end I found a place to have some lunch (again some salad).

The night before I had talked a lot with a doctor who is also somehow connected to the hotel I was staying in, and we talked about a lot of things. He gave me a magazine about tourism in the north of Argentina and Chile, which included some interesting information and some stuff useful for the rest of my time in Argentina. I made copies of the useful pages, and investigated a bit the options I have after Tucumán.

In the evening – after siesta time, which is almost until 7pm here – I had another walk through the centre, but didn't really find anything else to have dinner. In the end I went to the same restaurant as the day before for lunch, and had another pizza (a different one). I returned to the hotel to finish of the bottle of wine from the day before and went to bed early.

Today I woke up early, at about 5:45am, and had breakfast at 6:15am. At 6:30am I was ready to go. But when I left the hotel I noticed that I had a flat tyre on the back wheel of my bicycle – the first flat tyre of this trip. I repaired the flat tyre while talking to the kids of one of the women working at the hotel. I was ready again at about 7:20am, and left.

In the morning the sky was very cloudy – luckily – and I was travelling at a good speed up to Lavalle – 50km from Frías – where I stopped to have some lemonade. I met a couple from San Pedro there, who told me that there is accommodation in San Pedro. I left again, and arrived at San Pedro at about 11:30am. I first did a round through the village, but couldn't find the accommodation. I had another lemonade at the main square, and asked some people. In the end, I found the accommodation, but there is no sign saying “pensión” or “alojamiento” outside. I then first went to buy a few things – I hadn't seen anything like a restaurant or parrilla when I arrived, so I needed some things for lunch and dinner – and for breakfast the next day. Then I had a shower and rested.

In the afternoon, I had another walk through the village, but nothing was open. Like Frías, the village is separated by the railways, but the two parts of San Pedro are also part of different provinces. In Frías the doctor told me that there are cargo trains from Bolivia to Buenos Aires, but really, when I saw the state of the tracks, it is quite difficult to imagine that.

The main square of San Pedro is quite big, but there isn't much around it – and even less so on a Sunday afternoon.

In the end, I went back to the hotel to write a bit more in the courtyard of the hotel. It was less hot now, and there was more shade, and I preferred sitting outside rather than in my room.