Many mornings we hit the road early so as to get the miles done before the sun gets too hot. Not all, but some mornings start with not a cloud in the sky giving us spectacular sunrises. We are looking forward to being in the mountains to really be able to appreciate them.

Hitting the road early. We were heading west, so early mornings meant no sun in our eyes

Mind you on this particular day maybe we should have stayed in bed a little longer, because first of all a bus driver (who was in the slow lane) decided to take the mog on as he overtook a cyclist but never bothered to look to his left (we were in the fast lane, believe it or not, lol) and kept going, and only that we slowed down I reckoned my side of the truck might be in a sad state of affairs.  Brave bus driver mind you!!!!!!!!!!!, maybe we were tooooo small for him to see!

Anyway the day didn’t improve as we came to a cross roads with traffic in front of us ( including a police car) that all drove straight through the cross roads.  As it happens there was a STOP sign that we all ignored, but we did slow and check that it was safe.  However up ahead about 100 meters, there were six or seven police officers processing a line of vehicles for not coming to a complete stop, and guess what ‘yes’ we were in that line.  No amount of ‘no entiendo’  worked, in fact the police officer called an English speaking colleague to speak to Merv on the phone and to explain exactly why and what we were being charged with. We were skeptical at first in case this was a shake down, but the police officers were not accepting money from anybody and the only way to pay the fine was in a bank, and before we signed any documentation we had our Spanish Dictionary ( yes even on the side of the road) out translating the below fine. We were reassured again that it was above board when another lady showed us hers, she too with a sad face, The two forms were identical.  The fine was initially A$ 1377.80 (A$ means Argentinian Dollar or Peso) but if you pay within 10 days, you are given a 50% discount, hence you pay A$688.90., quite clever on their part!

Not feeling too good having got a fine.

For those who might travel on Ruta 19 from Santa Fe to Cordoba, watch this spot! It looks like a permanent setup as they catch so many people.
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The image of the cop making money off his computer marks the spot! If you hover over the cop, you’ll get the precise co-ordinates. You’ve been warned!

Other notes: The only documents the police wanted to see were Merv’s Irish driving license, and the Temporary Import document for the truck. No passports, insurance etc.

About 400 years ago, someone had a bright idea. Wouldn’t it be cool to head off into the jungles of south america, and build grand complexes where a whole new lifestyle could be tried out. All that is left of this era is a collection of old ruins, patches of ground that the jungle is working hard to take back and in some cases, is winning.

But back in the 1600’s the Jesuits created about 30 settlements in the wildest jungles they could find. The locals were offered a place to live that would save them from the slavers, and the jesuits had a willing group of people keen to get involved in their teachings. These settlements worked so well they ended up getting an expulsion order in 1786. In the settlements they had blacksmiths, bakers, leather workers etc, everything they needed for the community to work well together.

We went to visit one of these missions, and it’s great. Well worth the visit. It is interesting to be called a “Foreigner in general”, and also to be charged more than everyone else. That’s a bit of a trend we’re spotting. We don’t mind too much as we hope to spend more time in the wilder areas with less of these types of “attractions”, but while they are on our doorstep it would be crazy to miss them. We’re in trouble now folks, as Sarah has left the cultural post up to me!

It’s nice to feel loved

The missions covered a large area, at a guess between 50 and 100 acres.

The Argentinians are great people for the out of doors stuff. Loads of people outside milling about.

We did chat with some folks, once they might cop we were speaking english they would love to find out where we were from, what we’re doing etc. I think there is a bit of wanderlust in every south american’s heart. We had a nice chat with an American lady who was their with her Uruguayan cattle farmer husband. Most people  are fascinated as to how we got our truck here, and we are finding it to be a great icebreaker.

Side view of front of the Church.

Beside the church, there was a huge courtyard with rooms in the buildings that lined it. These are in amazingly good shape.

In some places, Nature is taking it all back

The detail in some of the carvings is impressive, especially when you consider the time frame, and what tools they may have had.

Some things are the same the world over, people go places, take pictures and go home.