Wednesday March 12th 2025 Ingeniero Guillermo Nicasio Juárez to Coronel Juan Solá
After a 100 mile bike ride yesterday, we decided to gun the bikes up again, without all the paniers just lights, as the restaurants are a couple of miles away if they are open. After a lovely shower and a few beers to relax, we set off for the restaurant, still light at 7pm, but gets dark really quickly, the first place we come to was open so thats the place, obviously my favorite. Nice food as well, pleasant change even had pasta! Really nice meal, still think they were a bit shocked on how much we ordered, but left nothing! Then cycled back to the digs in the dark, we had lights, that’s better than all the little motorbikes they just go where they please. Back at the digs just before nine great, need to rest these weary puppies, get them ready for another day.

Same old thing in the morning, breakfast then the nice chap offers us some water, saves a ride to the petrol station in town, off we set, then another puncture after two minutes. All sorted and dug the wire out of the tyre, hopefully that should sort it. Then just ride baby ride, on to Coronel Juan Solá, another one horse town, or should I say pig now as there seems to be a lot of feral pigs around for some reason, not sure why.

Still on the route 81, nice road with very little traffic, but pretty boring as we turn over the miles, not even a petrol station or shop for 50 odd miles, so stacked up with water on we trundle. Just a working day on the bike, looking out for any animals, birds snakes anything, nice little urban fox, just nonchalantly looking at us, trying to make out, what we were doing, looked in good shape though, plenty of chickens so not short of food, he is better of than me. Had a little break sat on the stools, by the side of the road, eating an apple and watching the world go by, very slowly

We actually cross the border from Formosa province into Salta province, nothing changes, but we get a nice fresh bottle of water from the border patrol, not sure what they are patrolling, but they are very diligent and pleasant, could have been waitresses the way they served us the fresh water, good on them.

Another little village in 18 or so miles so will try and get something to eat there, nothing can go wrong, just pedalling away at our hearts content, now there are loads of little lizards darting around the road, tails curled up, first I thought they were Scorpions, but lizards they are, I have been assured.

We arrive at Los Blancos, not much of a place but decide to delve into the delights of this wonderful village, rode down the dusty street, looking for anything that resembles a shop, nothing doing, until we spot a little veranda down the sidewalk. We hit lucky again, Gonzalez as in speedy, which he was not, but his hospitality was brilliant. Set up a little picnic table in his shop, for us to have a sift drink and cheese and tomato baguette, spot on, all his other customers just looked, I could hear him say Chicos en bicicleta desde Ushuaia a EE. UU., desde Inglaterra, Londres “Guys cycling from Ushaiua to USA, from England, London” they just looked a bit bewildered! Said our goodbyes to Gonzalez few pics and got him on the Instagram page, then off we go.

Just a little jaunt to Coronel Juan Solá, nice and easy pace after the big lunch, we are not used to that, but very welcome it was, another little dusty town in North West Argentina, with one potential place to stay, all sorted straight away, nice little set up with a communal kitchen, that dinner sorted then.

Spent the rest of the afternoon planning our escape into Boliva, but sometimes be carful what you wish for, least the roads are pretty good here, you never know.