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Splinter, when you were on open stretches of good road, like the blacktop one on the way to Rosario, what average speed were you going?
The pace seemed to be comfortable, yet you made very good time.
Splinter, when you were on open stretches of good road, like the blacktop one on the way to Rosario, what average speed were you going?
The pace seemed to be comfortable, yet you made very good time.
About 110kmh, depending on the wind.
Just finished watching them all...you got great weather. 
The last few reminded me of my twisty road bike rides in Scotland. The Titi Hotel in Ballesteros looked 'interesting'. 
Just finished watching them all...you got great weather.
I'm glad you enjoyed the videos and will divulge more revealing information about Hotel Titi later. It was an eye opener...
Oh?
I'm glad you enjoyed the videos and will divulge more revealing information about Hotel Titi later. It was an eye opener...
If it's the sort of 'hotel' I think it is I'm not surprised. We have a couple of them here.
Is it the sort of 'hotel' , I think it is?
Is it the sort of 'hotel' , I think it is?
Sorry to spoil the fun, but it wasn't a 'telo'. My companion would have got the wrong idea if it had been.
I didn't fancy doing nearly 800kms in one day, so I picked Ballesteros as a good stopping point with only 250kms to ride the following day. Anyway, it's the only hotel in town and reviews on Google Maps at the least were not too off-putting. I phoned the owner and booked a couple of rooms at $18.000 each per night, so for that price, I wasn't expecting much and I wasn't disappointed.
It was a punishing ride along the Rosario/Cordoba motorway because we had a very strong crosswind and when we arrived in the one horse town of Ballesteros at around 5pm, it was deserted, as one might expect in a tiny country town in Argentina. Our first view of the hotel at the rear was not exactly awe inspiring, to say the least.
Once we'd parked our bikes in the spacious, covered open shed and were unloading our bags, the landlady appeared and ordered us to move our bikes closer together because 'it could get busy later', which I doubted.
My companion obliged and we then followed her through 'reception', down a dark corridor reminiscent of The Shining and thence into the 1950s bar area, where we were informed by the owner that we were lucky to have caught her because she usually has a siesta until 6pm. I then apologised for having disturbed her slumber, at which she asked for our DNI numbers and ages, but nothing else, which I found a little puzzling, so I gave her an estimate, which finally broke a smile. She scribbled the scant information that we had delivered into a well worn scrapbook, which she cast aside on the pile of other crap and broken odds and ends on the bar area, at which point I asked when we could have a beer, for I was extremely dry of throat.
I even asked if she had Imperial Golden, knowing that she probably didn't and I was correct because she'd never heard of it and offered Quilmes Classic 1L or Corona which she considered far too expensive 'for these parts', which I agreed with. Once we had finished checking in, she informed me that all I had to do was let her know when we wanted a beer, hustled us out of the bar, locked the door and vanished, so we inspected our accommodations, such as they were.
I had to force the bathroom door to open, but I was lucky because Claudio didn't even have a bathroom door, but when I did peer inside, I didn't stay long.
After trying to force the locked door to the bar and having unloaded everything from the bike (when you live in BA, old habits die hard), Quilmes was calling me, so I sent the lady a text, at which she magically reappeared in the bar ten minutes later. Naturally, I chose the Quilmes Classic, large bottle and just as the lady opened it, foamy beer spurted out all over her face and top, resulting in one or two familiar expletives, at which she put the bottle in a polystyrene shroud to keep it cool and disappeared again, but this time to change her top. I then settled at a table with my beloved Quilmes and everything was right in the world. I guessed that Claudio had fallen asleep dreaming about bathroom doors and I was right.
Part two to follow!
Eager to read part 2!
Eager to read part 2!
Me too.....especially if it involves the busty barmaid. 
Part two coming shortly...
In the meantime:
Very nicely done, Splinter !
''By around midday we had our first glimpse of the Cordoba sierras, which made me realise how flat most of Argentina really is, especially living in Buenos Aires, which only boasts the odd hillock.''
Chivilcoy doesn't even have a hillock!!
I'm beginning to like the Tito hotel.
