We were all up at 5:30am and
had our breakfast which consisted of stale bread and jam with coffee and tea
which wasn’t particularly great for only our second day! We finally left just
before 7am after loading all our bags on the top of the vehicle. We decided we would rotate the seating arrangements during the day so everybody had a fair share of the front seat and
the middle seats (as the back seats were a little cramped).
Our first visit was the 'Ghost Town' at an altitude of 4690 metres which was nice to walk around early in the morning. Unfortunately just before we arrived at Lake Morejon we had a puncture; however Javier managed to change the wheel in about 30 minutes.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Our first visit was the 'Ghost Town' at an altitude of 4690 metres which was nice to walk around early in the morning. Unfortunately just before we arrived at Lake Morejon we had a puncture; however Javier managed to change the wheel in about 30 minutes.
The 'Ghost Town' (at an altitude of 4690 metres)
Puncture!
Lake Morejon
Soon we were exploring more lakes and Lagunas before finally stopping for
lunch. I was a little surprised we did not have a stove with us as it would
have been nice to have had a hot drink, rather than just water and coke! Javier
did however take great pride in preparing our food for us.
At Laguna Hedionda we punctured again, but luckily there was a couple of other vehicles with us as well and the drivers were able to give Javier a helping hand. As we had already used the spare wheel we now had to change the inner tube, so rather ingeniously one of the other drivers rode over the tyre to release it from the rim, and it was then replaced with a new inner tube! It was all very entertaining for us to watch and before too long we were on our way again
At Laguna Hedionda we punctured again, but luckily there was a couple of other vehicles with us as well and the drivers were able to give Javier a helping hand. As we had already used the spare wheel we now had to change the inner tube, so rather ingeniously one of the other drivers rode over the tyre to release it from the rim, and it was then replaced with a new inner tube! It was all very entertaining for us to watch and before too long we were on our way again
.JPG)
Another puncture! (Laguna Hedionda)
Laguna Hedionda
.JPG)
Laguna Hedionda
.JPG)
Laguna Hedionda
Unfortunately when we reached
Kollpa Laguna we punctured yet again! And it was the same wheel? We had
only been driving for about 10 minutes after leaving Laguna Hedionda and so we
were either very unlucky or the original puncture wasn't repaired properly? (I
do remember seeing the inner tube being 'pinched' when it was replaced?) Javier
clearly looked a little frustrated, and so we all offered to help. After some
time Javier eventually just replaced the wheel with the original one, and just pushed in the screw (that had actually caused the puncture in the first place) and pumped the tyre up and was clearly hoping it would stay up!
Kollpa Laguna
Once we all jumped back into
the vehicle there was clearly a lot of concern. Daniel wanted to stay the night
at Kollpa Laguna (It had about 3 buildings) and wait until morning for help! By
now it was about 3pm and no traffic had passed us while we were fixing the
puncture. Rob was also in a kind of panic, suggesting we should cut the tour
short for the day. Frasier, Joanne and I were all in agreement that we
should continue as planned and when we reached our accommodation for the night,
Javier could then look into fixing the spare tyre. We agreed there was an
element of risk but we were confident that Javier knew what he was doing and we
really did not want to miss any of the tour as we all had come a very long
way and paid a lot of money. After half an hour of discussion which was all a
little heated and tense, it was agreed we should carry on.
When we reached Laguna Blanca unfortunately tensions began to build up again. Rob wanted to stay the night at the nearby building and Daniel also agreed! They said it was too risky to drive south to Lagunda Verde and run the risk of puncturing again. I thought they were both over reacting a little and I made my views quite clear, and I could see they weren't impressed. Frasier, Joanne and I did not want to miss any of the sights; however after another heated debate we decided to drive only as far as the 'Rocas de Dali' and very reluctantly miss the Laguna Verde.
When we reached Laguna Blanca unfortunately tensions began to build up again. Rob wanted to stay the night at the nearby building and Daniel also agreed! They said it was too risky to drive south to Lagunda Verde and run the risk of puncturing again. I thought they were both over reacting a little and I made my views quite clear, and I could see they weren't impressed. Frasier, Joanne and I did not want to miss any of the sights; however after another heated debate we decided to drive only as far as the 'Rocas de Dali' and very reluctantly miss the Laguna Verde.
Rocas de Dali
On our return from 'Rocas de
Dali' we stopped at the Laguna Blanca for the agreed 7 minutes dip in the hot pool as demanded by Rob and Daniel! I couldn't be bothered to change my clothes and so just
dipped my feet in the water, whilst the others all had a proper dip. Already in
the pool was a Dutch cyclist who had cycled from Peru, and so Rob was obviously
keen to talk with him. After about 25 minutes both Rob and Daniel managed to
drag themselves out of the pool and back to the vehicle! Tense discussions started again, both Rob and Daniel were unsure if they wanted to continue as they
thought they may become stranded if we were to puncture again! However, eventually we
did finally leave and it was a great relief to stop at the amazing Geysers and
Fumaroles. (Concerns were put behind us, at least for a little while!)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Laguna Blanca
.JPG)
Geysers and Fumaroles
.JPG)
Geysers and Fumaroles
Geysers and Fumaroles
.JPG)
Geysers and Fumaroles
.JPG)
Geysers and Fumaroles
Our final stop of the day was
Laguna Colorado which was very nice especially with the sun setting. Javier
informed us we would return again in the morning. We finally reached our
accommodation for the night at Huajllajara without any further punctures or
arguments!
.JPG)
Laguna Colorado
.JPG)
Laguna Colorado
During our evening meal it was
clear Rob and Daniel were still concerned about the 'iffy' tyre we were driving
on, and the flat spare tyre we were carrying. In their defence we all agreed
that Javier should be doing something to sort out the issue, so we all would be
comfortable in the morning when leaving. Rob and Daniel also suggested we
should stay an extra night in Huajllajara if need be, which I thought was
ridiculous. Myself, Frasier and Joanne had no intentions of doing this.
At the end of our meal Javier came to see us and we let Rob speak with him to find out what his plans were for the next day as we were all concerned. He advised us he had spare inner tubes and there was nothing to worry about, (although it was clear he had done nothing to repair the spare, or the one currently with the screw pushed in!) It was also clear if we did have another puncture again Javier would need the aid of another vehicle to remove the tyre so as to replace the inner tube. Rob insisted that Javier guarantees we have another vehicle behind us at all times tomorrow. Javier informed us he had two friends that were drivers also staying the night and they would be leaving in the morning, and he would make sure they stay with us. (The Czech group were staying elsewhere!?) We were happy with this, however the conversation between Rob and Javier seemed to drag on through the night and it was clear Daniel was still a little concerned. I ended up having a small argument with Rob and Daniel which only caused more bad tension between us and later there was a misunderstanding between Rob and Frasier. In the end it was agreed we would leave in the morning with Javier's friends.
It was a very tiring and stressful day and it was quite clear the team was now split. There was myself, Frasier and Joanne with Rob and Daniel joined at the hip!
At the end of our meal Javier came to see us and we let Rob speak with him to find out what his plans were for the next day as we were all concerned. He advised us he had spare inner tubes and there was nothing to worry about, (although it was clear he had done nothing to repair the spare, or the one currently with the screw pushed in!) It was also clear if we did have another puncture again Javier would need the aid of another vehicle to remove the tyre so as to replace the inner tube. Rob insisted that Javier guarantees we have another vehicle behind us at all times tomorrow. Javier informed us he had two friends that were drivers also staying the night and they would be leaving in the morning, and he would make sure they stay with us. (The Czech group were staying elsewhere!?) We were happy with this, however the conversation between Rob and Javier seemed to drag on through the night and it was clear Daniel was still a little concerned. I ended up having a small argument with Rob and Daniel which only caused more bad tension between us and later there was a misunderstanding between Rob and Frasier. In the end it was agreed we would leave in the morning with Javier's friends.
It was a very tiring and stressful day and it was quite clear the team was now split. There was myself, Frasier and Joanne with Rob and Daniel joined at the hip!
No comments:
Post a Comment